Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings
by amy.werner.794
Summary: "Unfinished Business" is a favorite episode of many SMK fans. It was a great episode but many fans felt that it ended without dealing with all the emotions that Lee and those close to him must have experienced after such a traumatic few days. This story is an AU look at what happened after the scene in Blackthorne's study.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- "Scarecrow and Mrs King" is the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot The Moon Productions. This story was written for entertainment purposes only.

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings

It was a sunny October morning with a slight chill in the air but Amanda

King barely noticed the weather as she walked down the Georgetown street.

Her thoughts, well her emotions if she were to be really honest with herself,

were spinning out of control. So many life altering things had happened

in the last few weeks. She felt as though she'd barely had time to come to

grips with how she felt about one situation before she was faced with another.

 _I can hardly believe it's been only three weeks since Lee told me he loves me._

 _Deep down inside I already knew he loves me but, boy did it feel good to hear_

 _him actually say the words. I wonder if he would have told me if he hadn't_

 _been afraid that the Stemwinder case could have kept us from ever seeing_

 _each other again. Don't borrow trouble, Amanda. I know how hard it is for_

 _Lee to express his feelings. I guess that's why he's been having such a hard_

time the last few days. It just hurts that he's been pushing me away again even

 _though I understand that he just can't help it. I want to be there for him but he_

 _can't seem to let me in completely._

Amanda had felt so close to Lee as she embraced him in Thomas Blackthorne's

study the previous afternoon. She had expected him to finally breakdown and

acknowledge all the pain he'd kept buried for over thirty years. They had held

each other tightly for several minutes. The screech of brakes as a car raced up the

driveway of the mansion caused Lee to step back rather unsteadily from their

embrace. It was clear to Amanda that Lee was still experiencing the side effects of

having the experimental drug in his system.

Francine and Billy had come running in with their guns drawn. They stopped short

at the sight of Blackthorne's body and a dazed looking Lee.

"What the hell happened here?" Billy yelled

"I shot the bastard" , Lee answered in an eerily quiet voice.

"I can see that . I told you not to go anywhere near him so what do you do, you-"

Despite the fact that Billy was screaming at him, Lee turned and walked over to

where Blackthorne's body was slumped. Lee stood looking at the body seemingly

not even hearing Billy's voice. Billy stopped screaming in mid sentence when he

realized that Lee wasn't ignoring him, he simply no longer seemed to be aware of

his presence in the room. A clearly shaken Amanda started to walk towards Lee but she was stopped by Billy's hand on her arm.

"Sir, I need to go to Lee. He needs me." pleaded Amanda.

"No, Amanda. I know you're upset but I need to know what happened here and I

need to know now." Billy countered.

"But, Sir-"Amanda responded in a broken voice.

" Amanda, the Secret Service is on the way here as we speak. They were angry at

you two before this happened. This will have them absolutely furious. I need to be

able to tell them what happened here and why. Your partner can't tell me so I need

you to tell me quickly and then get Scarecrow out of here before the Secret Service

agents arrive."

Amanda hurriedly explained what had happened from Lee's flash of memory

outside the hotel all the way through her arriving at the entrance to Blackthorne's

study in time to prevent a dazed Lee from being shot by Blackthorne. Billy was still

extremely angry but he knew there would be no point in attempting to question Lee

until the Promazapan was out of his system. He ordered Amanda to take Lee home

and he made it clear that he expected to see them both early the next morning for

their debriefings.

Amanda drove Lee home in his car. She wasn't surprised that he didn't say anything

during the ride home but she was unnerved by the empty look in his normally very

expressive hazel eyes. Amanda let them into the apartment and Lee immediately sat

down on the couch. Not knowing how to reach him and needing something to do

Amanda went into the kitchen to get him a glass of juice. Amanda came back from

the kitchen to find a more clear eyed Lee standing and taking off his suit jacket. Lee

looked away from Amanda and said," Thanks for everything. I couldn't have gotten

through the last couple of days without you but you should go home now. I'm

exhausted and I want to get some sleep."

" Getting some sleep is a great idea. I'll just stay and then once you've gotten some

rest I'll make you a light dinner. You haven't been eating and I'm worried about

you. You still have some of that drug in your system so you shouldn't be

alone." Amanda fretted.

Lee raked his hand through his hair and sighed. " Amanda, I'm okay, really. I'm

feeling much better now…I just need sleep. And you, you need to go home to your

boys. They need you. Go have dinner with them and your mother. I'll get some sleep

and then I'll see you in the morning." Amanda didn't want to leave him like that but

she knew that she wouldn't be able to change his mind so she left.

As Amanda approached the entrance to IFF's Georgetown foyer she'd made up her

mind that she would give Lee the space he wanted but she wouldn't allow him to

push her away as he had done the day before. They could get through anything if

they faced it together. She'd make Lee see that and it would make their relationship

even stronger.

Amanda walked in the front door and approached Mrs. Marston's desk.

"Good morning, Mrs. Marston. Today's password is obsidian."

"Thank you, Mrs. King. Mr. Melrose would like to see you in his office." Mrs.

Marston stated as she handed Amanda her ID badge.

Amanda pinned the badge to her sweater and began to walk towards the steps

leading to the Q Bureau.

"Mrs. King , Mr. Melrose wants to see you immediately", Mrs. Marston stated in

her most authoritarian voice.

Although Amanda ordinarily would have followed instructions and gone directly to

Billy she was just too worried about Lee to not go up and check on him first.

"Thank you, Mrs. Marston. I need to speak to Mr. Stetson for a moment and then I'll

go right down to Mr. Melrose" Amanda answered while twisting the strap of her

shoulder bag nervously.

"Mr. Stetson hasn't come in yet. You need to go to Mr. Melrose's office now" Mrs.

Marston replied in a tone that only made Amanda more nervous than she already

was.

 _Oh my gosh ,_ Amanda thought as she rushed to the closet elevator , _I never should_

have left Lee alone yesterday.


	2. Chapter 2

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 2

Amanda boarded the closet elevator that would take her down to Billy's office with 

a growing sense of dread. _I just knew that I shouldn't have left Lee alone yesterday_

 _no matter what he said. Why didn't I insist on staying…I don't usually give in to him_

 _so easily. C'mon Amanda, you know why you left. I hate seeing Lee in such pain_

 _when I feel powerless to help him. I wanted to believe that a good night's sleep_

 _would help him and give me a chance to figure out how to comfort him._ When the 

elevator reached the level for the field section Amanda rushed out and practically

ran to Billy's office. As Amanda got closer to his office she noticed that the blinds

were closed which only made her more concerned than she already was. Amanda

knocked on the door and Billy shouted "Come in " in a particularly gruff voice.

"Good morning, Sir. Mrs. Marston said that you wanted to see me immediately"

Amanda said in as calm a voice as she could muster. Her voice might have been

convincing but her body language let Billy know just how troubled she was feeling.

"Sit down, Amanda. How was Lee when you left him last night ?"

"Last night ?" Amanda answered in that voice she used when she answered a

question with another question.

" Yes, Amanda, last night. I phoned Lee's apartment several times last night because

I needed to speak to him. He didn't answer the phone or respond to the urgent

messages I left. I must have started to phone him within an hour or so of when you

would have left his apartment."

"Well, I actually only stayed with Lee for a few minutes after I drove him home.

He seemed to be coming back to his old self , just exhausted. Lee insisted that I go

home to the boys because all he wanted to do was get some sleep. I shouldn't have

listened to him. I've got to go check on him right now."

"No. Absolutely not. Lee needs to start taking responsibility for himself and his 

actions. He blatantly disobeyed my orders, he killed a man, and he could have

gotten you both killed yesterday", Billy said with his voice rising with each word.

" I know what he did, what we did, was wrong . Lee would never have done the

things he did if this whole case hadn't involved his parents' deaths. He needs time 

to deal with his grief " Amanda argued. 

"I don't mean to be cruel but Lee has had over thirty years to deal with the loss of 

his parents. He's chosen to bury his feelings and run away from the chance to truly

get on with his life. Allowing him to continue this way is not doing him any favors.

Yes, losing his parents at such a young age and being dragged all over the world by

his uncle wouldn't be easy to overcome but Lee hasn't really tried to get past it. 

As Billy continued talking Amanda was becoming annoyed and her posture was

becoming increasingly stiff. She finally couldn't listen to Billy blaming Lee for his

own problems anymore and she uncharacteristically interrupted him.

"Lee never asks for special treatment. He doesn't want people to feel sorry for him",

Amanda defended.

"He doesn't need to ask for special treatment because he's been getting it for so

long that he doesn't even recognize it anymore. And as for not wanting people to

feel sorry for him he has already cornered the market on feeling sorry for himself.

Lee went too far this time. What's worse is that you followed him. I've always 

counted on you to be the responsible one, you rein him in when he is about to go too

far. This time you simply followed his lead and blatantly ignored my orders. I can't ignore that. You aren't civilian auxiliary anymore…you're an agent candidate and

you need to be treated accordingly." Billy took a deep breath, shook his head and

then continued with his reprimand. " Do you have any idea how I spent most of

yesterday afternoon?"

"I imagine you and Francine had to explain Blackthorne's death to the Secret

Service agents who arrived at his mansion" Amanda answered with her head

bowed. 

"Can you 'imagine' how difficult it would be to explain why my agent, who was

ordered to stay away from Blackthorne, ended up killing him. Lee wasn't coherent

enough to explain his actions to me and you didn't have much time to explain what

had happened before you left to take Lee home. I was left with very little to say to 

justify why my agent acted as he did. If Lee hadn't prevented the assassination of

Rene Sinclair I would have had nothing to say to defend his actions. As it is , that 

only bought me some time. I need to meet with them and Dr Smyth this afternoon to

discuss the matter further."

"Lee didn't intend to kill Blackthorne. He just wanted to get him to admit that he

was responsible for the accident that killed his parents. Lee hadn't planned-"  
"That's just the point, Amanda. Lee didn't plan…he hasn't been thinking clearly or

acting reasonably since he started looking into the circumstances surrounding his

parents' deaths. He abused his position with the Agency to further his personal

investigation. There have to be consequences for his actions and yours as well."

Amanda sat up straighter in her chair and looked at Billy with a mix of contrition

and sadness on her face. " I'm so sorry, Sir. I know we should have found a better

way to get the answers Lee needed. Please don't be too hard on Lee…he's really

hurting. I'm to blame for not trying harder to reason with him. If you have to fire me 

I understand but Lee needs his career…it's his whole life" Amanda implored.

" I don't intend to fire anyone, although I certainly could. You will spend the next

two weeks concentrating on honing your self defense skills. I expect you to be fully

qualified to use a fire arm. If you are going to be an agent you need to be capable of

using a gun to defend yourself and your fellow agents."

"I'll learn, I promise I won't disappoint you . I'm sure Lee can help me to qualify in

less then two weeks ", Amanda stated confidently.

"No, Amanda. You'll be trained by Leatherneck. Lee will be suspended and not

welcome on any Agency grounds for the next two weeks. I want you to go upstairs

and prepare a full report on the Blackthorne case. I expect this report to be complete

and you will deliver it to me personally by one o'clock this afternoon."

"Yes, Sir. May I go check on Lee before I start on the report? I'm very worried

about him. He should have been here by now."

"Amanda, I care about Lee also. If I didn't I would be firing him instead of

suspending him. I expect you to get to work on the report right now. I'm going to go 

see our Scarecrow and have a long overdue conversation with him." 


	3. Chapter 3

Unfinished Business, Unrealized Feelings chapter 3

Billy parked his car across the street from Lee's Georgetown apartment building. He got out of his car and saw Lee's Corvette parked in its' usual spot. Knowing that Lee was at home was reassuring on the surface but it left Billy to wonder why Lee hadn't responded to his phone calls and shown up for work. There was only one way to get answers and Billy had put off confronting Lee for far too long so he strode purposefully across the street.

Norman, the doorman, recognized Billy from his prior visits to Lee and allowed him access to the building without calling up to Lee's apartment to announce him. As he rode up in the elevator Billy steeled himself for the difficult task that lay ahead of him. He couldn't deny that Lee was special to him, he wasn't just another subordinate. Even though Billy cared for everyone that he supervised he had an undeniable soft spot for Lee despite the aggravation that Lee had caused him over the years. Billy had always been able to see through the Scarecrow persona that Lee hid behind. The challenge he now faced was to get past Scarecrow and get Lee to come to terms with his past.

Billy rang the doorbell and waited for Lee to let him in. After a couple of minutes passed with no response Billy rang the bell again. When he still didn't get a response he became concerned so he decided to pick the lock. The lock gave way and Billy quietly opened the door and slipped into the darkened apartment. Initially it was difficult to see because all the drapes had been closed and the lights were off. Once his eyes adjusted to the lack of light Billy could see Lee sprawled out on the couch. Lee was still dressed in the clothes that he'd been wearing the day before minus the jacket and tie. There was a glass and a mostly empty bottle of scotch on the coffee table next to the couch. _This is going to be even tougher than I expected. I can't let my sympathy for all that he's been through get in the way of my saying the harsh things he needs to hear. I've put this talk off for too long already._ Billy walked over to the sofa and quietly said Lee's name so not to startle him. He repeated his name several times and got no response so he gently shook his shoulder.

"Aamaanda, I,I knew you'd come. I don't feel so good" Lee said without opening his eyes.

"Lee, it's not Amanda. It's me, Billy. Get up, we need to talk " Billy stated in a quiet but firm voice.

Lee opened one eye and looked at Billy standing over him looking disgusted.

"Billy, I don't feel so good. You're gonna have to come back later. I'm goin back to sleep." He then closed the one blood shot eye and hoped Billy would leave him alone. _Why isn't Amanda here? Isn't she worried about me? I didn't really think she'd leave me yesterday even though I told her to._

"Stetson. I'm not leaving. You are going to get up right now and take a shower. I'm going to make us a pot of coffee and then we are going to have a long talk. Get moving."

"Ah, Billy. I don't feel like talking", Lee argued. He did open his eyes and sit up.

"I didn't ask you if you felt like talking… I told you that we were going to talk and I meant it. Get off that sofa and get yourself cleaned up this minute."

Lee got up without saying anything and sullenly walked towards his bedroom. _I can see he's going to fight me all the way. That's okay. I think his future is worth fighting for even if he doesn't think so yet._ Billy went into the kitchen to start the coffee he would need to sober Lee up. As he opened the cabinets to look for the coffee and for mugs Billy was surprised to find them stocked with food. He opened the refrigerator to get cream for Lee's coffee and found more than the leftover takeout food he expected to see there. Lee's lifestyle had already begun to change even if Lee wasn't ready to admit it yet.

While he was waiting for the coffee to brew Billy walked back into the living room to open the drapes enough to allow some light into the room. He knew better than to open those too wide because Lee wouldn't be in any shape to tolerate a lot of light. When Billy turned back to face the sofa he noticed a pile of photos that had seemingly been pushed off the coffee table into a heap on the floor. Billy stooped to pick them up. They were all photos of Lee's parents and a few of the photos included a very young Lee. Billy was shocked by the strong physical resemblance between Lee and his father. He placed the pile of photos back on the table and picked up the bottle of scotch and the empty glass to take them into the kitchen.

Billy returned to the living room with two cups of coffee and a plate of what he suspected were cookies that Amanda must have baked. _Jeannie doesn't need to know about these cookies. I'm going to need them to get through this morning._ Lee came back to the living room dressed in jeans, a long sleeved Henley shirt and bare feet. His hair was still damp and since he hadn't shaved in two days he resembled the pictures of his father even more. The two men stood looking at each other, neither one knowing quite how to start the conversation that couldn't be put off any longer.


	4. Chapter 4

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 4

Billy and Lee stood looking at each other uncomfortably, both dreading the conversation that was about to begin. Lee decided that if he couldn't avoid this conversation he would prefer to get it over with as soon as possible. 

"Usually when I have company I urge my guests to make themselves at home but in this case it looks as though you've already made yourself at home" Lee said while gesturing at the coffee and cookies Billy was putting out. "I've been late for work before but this is the first time you've ever broken into my apartment to provide a personal wake up. I would have thought that you'd have more important matters to deal with", Lee concluded and dropped down on his couch.

Billy decided that if their conversation was to be productive he couldn't afford to allow himself to be provoked by Lee's attitude. He sat down in the armchair that was opposite the sofa where Lee was sitting sullenly.

"This is the first time that you've failed to respond to very urgent phone messages that I left on your machine. I made it perfectly clear that I needed to speak to you immediately. When you didn't call me back and then you didn't show up for work this morning I got worried about you."

"Well, I ,ah…didn't sleep too well last night", Lee answered without looking at Billy.

"I'm not surprised. Passing out on the couch isn't usually conducive to a good nights sleep" Billy responded while pushing a cup of coffee across the table to Lee.

"Hey. I didn't plan on getting drunk. It just happened. I've had a lot to deal with lately in case you haven't noticed." Lee tentatively reached for the coffee cup that Billy had put in front of him.

"How could I possibly have not noticed your personal meltdown? You have defied numerous direct orders, abused your security clearance, killed a man and-"

"Now, wait a minute-", Lee interrupted.

"You wait; I'm not even close to being finished. You killed a man that I specifically ordered you to stay away from and in the process you almost got yourself and your partner killed. You are so lucky that you and Amanda walked away from that situation. That you don't care about your own future is nothing new but I really thought that Amanda's well being was important to you.

"Of course Amanda's well being is important to me. I would never intentionally put her in any danger. She shouldn't have followed me to Blackthorne's mansion yesterday…that was something I needed to handle on my own", Lee attempted to defend himself.

"Don't you dare try to blame Amanda for trying to keep you from self destructing. You knew she would follow you. She always does when she thinks you're in danger. If she hadn't you'd be dead…because she did she could have been killed also. We both know that Blackthorne wouldn't have thought twice about killing you both in order to protect his secrets. Instead of sitting here watching you feel sorry for yourself I'd be trying to explain Amanda's death to her family. I'd have to tell them everything. They'd have a right to know the truth about how she died."

"No! You can't do that. It would be as though they were losing her twice if you told them that she'd been lying to them for such a long time." Lee jumped up and strode towards the partially opened drapes across the room. " Amanda's been right all along. She shouldn't be lying to her family. All the lying has to stop now…before it's too late."

"Lee, calm down. Amanda is fine. I don't have to tell her family anything. Nothing has to change. Amanda is very happy with her new status as an agent candidate. She understands why you both have to be punished for your recent behavior. I'll make certain that her part in your recent escapades won't hurt her career."

"It's not her career I'm worried about. Her whole life is based on a lie. I have to convince her to stop living this way before it's too late. She has to leave the Agency", Lee exclaimed while raking his hand through his already unkempt hair.

Billy sat stunned by his favorite agent's outburst.


	5. Chapter 5

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 5

Had it been two or three years earlier Billy wouldn't have been surprised by Lee's insisting that Amanda should leave the Agency. Billy knew that Lee no longer wanted to have Amanda leave the Agency. _Amanda thought that Lee was okay when she left here yesterday afternoon. I have to find out what happened after she left that would cause Lee to suddenly change his mind about Amanda's place within the Agency._

"Lee, you've got to calm down. You said yourself that you haven't been sleeping well and you had way too much to drink last night. It isn't up to us to decide how Amanda should lead her life. You can't simply demand that she give up a position that she's worked so hard to earn."

"I know that I can't just tell Amanda to quit and expect her to do it. She is far too stubborn …she never does what I tell her to. I have to convince her that leaving the Agency is the best thing that she could do for herself and her family. If she realizes how high a price they will all pay if she doesn't walk away now she'll see that I'm right" Lee concluded as he sunk down onto the couch and hung his head.

"I understand that you've always felt responsible for Amanda's safety because you got her involved in this business. What you need to accept is that Amanda is an adult who knows the risks and has made a conscious decision to take the risks in order to continue to do the good work we all believe in."

"Amanda doesn't truly understand what is at stake if she stays in this business. She's bought into the big lie and I've been encouraging her since the beginning", Lee said while raking his hand through his hair.

"That's ridiculous. You spent at least a year doing everything that you could think of to get Amanda to quit. I thank goodness everyday that your attempts failed. We are ALL better off because she stayed. She is a huge asset to this Agency", Billy argued.

"Is that all that matters? Should serving the Agency's day to day agenda be the driving force in all of our lives despite the costs ?"

"Lee-", Billy attempted to interrupt in hopes of keeping Lee from getting anymore upset.

"Don't you dare tell me that I'm not thinking clearly. My life is living proof of what can happen when this business becomes more important to us than anything else. I thought I was carrying on a noble family tradition, picking up the proverbial fallen torch, continuing the work that my father believed in. I've spent years working towards the moment when I'd be able to clear his name. I was so proud of who I thought he was and how he'd lived his life."

"You have every reason to be proud of who he was. He did important work and he did it better than most. It's tragic that he and your mother died so young."

"Tragic, yes. Unavoidable, no." The bitterness in Lee's voice was unmistakable but Billy couldn't figure out what had triggered his change of heart about the family business. The phone began to ring but Lee made no move to answer it. After the answering machine beeped Francine could be heard saying that she needed to talk to Billy. Lee gestured at the phone and Billy grabbed the receiver before Francine completed her message. Billy spoke to Francine briefly and then hung up.

"I've got to get back to the Agency right now. Richards, from the Secret Service, arrived for his appointment with me two hours early. He and Dr Smyth are waiting for me in my office. They want to discuss Thomas Blackthorne. They are demanding answers…this isn't going to be an easy one to talk our way out of. It's a good thing you and Amanda prevented the assassination of Rene Sinclair."

"Billy, I'm really sorry that you've been dragged into this. I'm totally to blame for what happened, you're not Don't try to protect me. Let me take the fall for this. I'll pay the price for my actions just try to keep Amanda out of this as much as possible."

"I'll do my best to protect Amanda. You and I need to talk more. I'll call you later and maybe we can meet for dinner." Billy left Lee's apartment feeling even more concerned about his friend than he'd been when he had first arrived.


	6. Chapter 6

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 6

Billy rushed through the Georgetown foyer en route to his office wondering just how much worse his day could get. As soon as he had left Lee's apartment he'd run into heavy cross town traffic. A trip that should only have taken a few minutes had taken him almost an hour. Dr. Smyth and Agent Richards both wanted Scarecrow's head on a platter and they were both waiting in his office, no doubt plotting Lee's downfall. _How am I supposed to protect Lee and Amanda's careers when they don't even seem concerned about the mess they're in. Lee who usually places his career ahead of everything else didn't seem the least bit bothered by my suspending him. And Amanda is more interested in comforting Lee than she is with protecting her career now when she's finally gotten the professional opportunity that she has worked so hard to earn._

Billy entered the bullpen and saw Francine sitting at her desk staring at the door to his empty office.

"Francine, where are Dr Smyth and our guest from the Secret Service? You said they were waiting for me in my office. I got here as quickly as I could. Didn't you tell them that I was on my way?" Billy, out of breath from rushing all the way downstairs, continued into his office with Francine right behind him.

"Of course I relayed your message as soon as I hung up from talking with you", Francine defended herself in an indignant voice.

" Why didn't they wait for me?"

"You're never going to believe what happened. I was here and I can't believe what I heard. Has everyone around here gone crazy?"

"Francine, I've already been having a really bad week, spare me the dramatics and tell me what happened", Billy snapped at her.

"Okay, I'm sorry; it was just so strange. Mrs. Marston called to say that Agent Richards was here to see you. She said that she would have him escorted down to your office. Less then five minutes later Dr. Smyth came rushing up to my desk. He ordered me into your office and shut the door. Dr Smyth ordered me to tell anyone who questioned me that Lee pursued Blackthorne based on a tip he received from one of his snitches. Before I could say a word the security guard who was escorting Agent Richards knocked on the door."

"Why would Dr Smyth order you to lie? He'd like nothing better than to see Lee brought down without his being blamed for it by the rest of us."

"It gets even stranger. Dr Smyth opened the door and greeted Richards as though they were old friends. Dr Smyth really turned on the charm. He apologized for the fact that you weren't available and suggested that they go out for lunch. Dr Smyth invited Richards to dine with him at his club. He said by the time that they got back here you'd be available to meet with him. Richards was so surprised to be invited to lunch by the Agency's director, at a country club no less; that he readily accepted the invitation."

"The old man must be up to something but for the life of me I can't guess what it could be" Billy responded while scratching his chin. "I have a project that I need you to work on this afternoon", he said as Francine continued to stand in front of his desk.

"You should sit down for this conversation", Billy advised Francine.

"Oh, it's going to be one of those assignments", Francine answered as she raised an eyebrow and waited for Billy to continue.

"This conversation is off the record and is not to leave this office-"

"This is getting better and better", Francine said in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Francine", Billy said in a tone that let her know that she was pushing his patience to its limits.

"I'm sorry, Billy. It's just that when you start a conversation that way it usually leads to my risking my career or my life or both. If this is about what I think it is I want in. Lee is my friend too and I'd like to help him."

"As his friend I can understand why Lee disobeyed every order that I gave him concerning his investigation of Thomas Blackthorne. Maybe I should have tried to help him unofficially since I knew that there was very little chance that he would follow my orders. If I'd-"

"Don't you dare blame yourself for Lee's problems. You tried to reason with him. He's obsessed with this case. Lee didn't want our help. He only accepted help from Amanda because she was willing to do whatever he asked of her", Francine argued.

"Amanda still wants to do whatever she thinks will help Lee even if it isn't in her own best interest. She isn't willing to distance herself from Lee in order to protect her career. I don't want Dr Smyth to find out how deeply involved she was in Lee's rogue investigation. Amanda won't admit that Lee went too far this time so she doesn't see why her having helped him could jeopardize her position here."

"If Lee and Amanda aren't trying to help themselves how can we possibly help them?" Francine questioned

"At this point it seems as though Dr Smyth is attempting to cover up the fact that Lee's reason for investigating Blackthorne was personal not professional. I don't trust Smyth but for now I'm willing to take advantage of the cover he's providing for Lee. I'm more worried about the damage that could be done if Agent Richards tries to question Amanda. As long as she doesn't acknowledge how far out of line Lee has been she won't be inclined to cover up the extreme measures they took in pursuing the Blackthorne case. I don't want Richards to be able to speak to Amanda today."

"How can you refuse to let him speak to her?" Francine asked.

"I can't refuse to let him talk to Amanda but if she isn't currently available that will buy us some time to reason with her. That's where you come in", Billy paused to gage Francine's reaction.

"Billy, you can't possibly think that Amanda will listen to anything that I could say; especially where Lee is concerned."

" My main concern at the moment is getting Amanda out of the building right now. I want you to go up to the Q Bureau and tell Amanda that I've given the two of you an urgent assignment. Tell her that you will explain the assignment to her over lunch and get her out of the building as quickly as you can", Billy instructed.

"I'll do my best. What is our assignment?"

"There is no real assignment but you're a quick thinker so I'm sure that you'll think one up by the time you and Amanda get to a restaurant. The lunch is my treat. Now get moving and be sure that you keep Amanda busy for at least four hours."


	7. Chapter 7

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 7

Amanda often sat and worked at Lee's desk. She'd lost count of how many times she had used the computer on Lee's desk to do research or write reports for him. Their shared office had become a place where Amanda felt comfortable whether she was there with Lee or there alone. Today was different. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't relax and concentrate on writing the report that Billy was expecting her to complete in a matter of hours.

 _I can do this. I have to do this for Lee's sake and for my own. Mr. Melrose has been angry at us before but he's never seemed so personally disappointed in us before. This isn't the first time that Lee has bent the rules while working on a case, well I guess this wasn't really an official case, but it's the first time that he's ever shown such a blatant disregard for the rules. Mr. Melrose expects me to rein Lee in when he starts to go too far and I usually do. Why did I go along with doing everything that Lee wanted to do when I knew better?_

Amanda was so deep in thought that she didn't hear Francine knocking on the door to the Q Bureau until Francine's quiet knock grew into loud banging. Startled by the noise, Amanda gasped and rushed to unlock the door. Francine's anger at having her quiet knocks go unanswered turned to concern when she saw Amanda's forlorn appearance.

"Amanda, are you alright? You look terrible", Francine blurted out.

"Gee thanks, Francine. Did you come all the way up here just to insult me?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I'm worried about you. You look really worn out", Francine said sincerely. 

"I'm sorry too; I'm overreacting to every little thing. You must know that Lee isn't in today and you never come up here to see me so why are you here?"

"Yes, I know that Scarecrow won't be in today or any day soon-" 

"His name is Lee, not Scarecrow. Did you come here to gloat about the trouble he's in because he didn't listen to your advice about staying away from Blackthorne?" Amanda asked in an uncharacteristically bitter voice.

"I know his name is Lee. I care about him too. We go back a long way. Don't get bent out of shape, I mean as good friends, it hasn't been anything more for a long time. I'm worried about both of you but that isn't why I'm here." 

"Why are you here?" 

"Billy has an assignment for us. He wants us to get to work on it right away. Grab your purse; we have to leave as soon as possible. I'll explain the assignment to you over lunch." 

"I can't leave. Mr. Melrose told me that I have to write-", Amanda began to argue.

"I know all about the report. Something has come up and Billy changed his mind about what he wants you to work on. Billy sent me up here to get you. We've got to get moving. I think you're going to enjoy this assignment; I know I will", Francine added hoping to peak Amanda's interest.

Francine could tell from the expression on Amanda's face that she'd succeeded in making her curious about the assignment. Amanda took her purse out of the drawer where she usually kept it and hurried to catch up to Francine who was already heading out the door. Francine rushed down the hall as quickly as her fashionably high heels would allow her to. As Amanda followed Francine she noticed that Francine was carrying an attaché case as well as her purse. The two women reached the Georgetown foyer, handed their badges to Mrs. Marston, and exited the building. Francine sighed audibly as she successfully led Amanda from the building without running into Dr Smyth and his Secret Service guest.

"Is everything okay, Francine? You seem to be in such a hurry", Amanda queried.  
"Everything is fine. I'm starving. We are going to have a very good lunch…you'll love it. I'll drive", Francine answered while slowing her pace. _Now that I've gotten Amanda out of the building I have to slow down so that I can keep her away from the Agency for as long as possible. I can't wait to see the look on Amanda's face when I tell her where we're having lunch._

"Francine, I don't mind if you drive but I really think we should discuss where we are going for lunch. Your idea of a very good lunch and mine are probably very different. I'm not that hungry and I'm on a budget. We need to find a place that is right for both of us; I don't mean to be difficult but-" 

"Amanda, Billy has chosen where we'll be having lunch. It's part of the case so the Agency will pick up the tab. We're going to Chez Nouvelle Trust me; the lunch menu is fabulous, I'm sure you'll find something that you will enjoy."

"I've read that they have a wonderful menu but I don't understand how eating there could be part of our assignment. Is something illegal going on in such a fancy restaurant?" Amanda asked earnestly. 

_Amanda has read about Chez Nouvelle I didn't think that Amanda had any interest in the finer things in life; maybe spending time with Lee is changing her._

"Francine, are you listening to me? Why is Mr. Melrose sending us to Chez Nouvelle?" 

"We're going to Chez Nouvelle because Billy wants us to watch someone who is supposed to be having lunch there today. Our assignment is to watch her and see who she makes contact with while she is there. When she is finished eating we are supposed to follow her and find out where she spends the next few hours. We have to see who she makes contact with and report back to Billy", Francine answered in a matter of fact voice as the women reached Francine's car. Francine immediately went to the driver's side door, unlocked it and entered the car. While Amanda stood waiting for Francine to unlock the passenger side door she couldn't help thinking how different things were when she was with Lee. She had come to take it for granted that Lee would unlock her door first and make sure that she was comfortably seated before he would enter the car. In some ways Lee had behaved like a gentleman since they had first met not just since they had started dating Amanda mused. Lee could go from being the most irritating person she had ever dealt with to being sweet and caring the next moment. More than anything else Amanda was drawn to the vulnerable side of Lee that he so rarely let anyone see. When Lee was hurting all Amanda wanted to do was comfort him; nothing else seemed as important she had to acknowledge to herself. _All I wanted to do was be there to comfort and help Lee and now he's suspended and Mr. Melrose is more disappointed in me than he has ever been before. How am I going to be able to repair the damage Lee and I have done to our careers this week?_

 __"Amanda, please get in the car, we have to get going", Francine said impatiently when Amanda made no move to get in the car.

"Oh, I'm sorry", a flustered Amanda answered as she rushed to get in the car. She sat down and as she reached for the seat belt she looked down at her outfit and shook her head sadly. 

"What's wrong now?" Francine asked although she wasn't entirely certain that she wanted to know the answer.

"Look at what I'm wearing", Amanda implored.

Francine looked Amanda over in the same mildly disdainful manner that she usually used when considering Amanda's fashion choices. "I don't see what the problem is. You're dressed the way you usually dress", Francine answered in what she thought was a tactful response.

"That's just it. I am dressed the way I usually dress for a typical work day" Amanda answered clearly frustrated that Francine didn't understand what was bothering her. 

Francine could tell that her response was only making Amanda more agitated but she didn't know why. _I thought that I was beginning to understand Amanda logic but she's lost me this time._

"If you're dressed the way you usually dress for work than what is the problem?" Francine asked in a tone that suggested that she was addressing a child.

"You may not believe this but I do like to dress appropriately for whatever situation I'm going to be in. This outfit is not my idea of what I'd like to be wearing to have lunch at Chez Nouvelle." Amanda answered as Francine pulled the car out into traffic. 

"Try not to worry about it. This is a working lunch and you didn't know about it in advance. Men have it so much easier. They aren't judged based on every fashion choice they make. It's not easy to be a career woman in a male dominated profession", Francine responded sympathetically.

"That's an understatement. Do you think we have time to stop by my house so that I can quickly change clothes", Amanda asked.

"Sure, that won't be a problem", Francine responded with a smile. _That should kill a little time and give me a chance to find out just what's going on between Lee and Amanda. Some people may believe their "we're just friends" routine but they haven't fooled me one bit._

Amanda was surprised to be having an almost friendly conversation with Francine. Maybe they had more in common than either of them would have imagined. They were very different woman but they were both trying to succeed at the Agency and have lives outside of work. As Francine drove both women were starting to think that there might be more to the other woman than they had originally thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's note: I'd like to apologize to everyone who has been reading this story for my delay in posting this chapter. I had a very stressful week in my real life that interfered with my writing. I'm back at it now and I look forward to your feedback. I find hearing from readers very encouraging.

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings, Chapter 8

After agreeing to drive Amanda home to change clothes before their lunch at Chez Nouvelle Francine's thoughts returned to the task that Billy had given her. She still wasn't certain that she was the right person to try to convince Amanda to distance herself from Lee in order to protect her own career. As Francine drove through the streets of Arlington towards Amanda's house she took her eyes off the road long enough to sneak a glance at her uncharacteristically quiet passenger. Ordinarily she would have been relieved by the quiet but now it was just making her uneasy because she had no idea what Amanda was thinking about. Francine pulled her car into the empty space in front of Amanda's house and turned off the engine but made no move to get out of the car. Amanda got out of the car and looked back in to where Francine was still seated.

"You are coming into the house aren't you?"

"No. I think it would be better if I wait out here so that you don't have to try to explain my presence to your mother", Francine answered.

"Mother isn't home right now. I'd rather have you come in the house if you don't mind. Having a very well dressed woman sitting in a fancy sports car in front of my house will cause the neighbors to gossip and then I really will have to make up an excuse for my mother. I wish I didn't have to lie to-"

"I certainly don't want to be the cause of unwarranted suburban gossip so I'll come in the house", Francine cut in, hoping to cut off Amanda's ramble. Francine got out of the car and followed Amanda up her front walk and into the house.

"Please make yourself comfortable in the living room. I'll be down in a few minutes", Amanda said as she walked to the stairs.

Francine walked into the living room, looked around at the décor and family pictures, and sat down on the sofa. She was surprised to see a copy of Vogue magazine sitting on the coffee table. Francine picked up the magazine to see if it had a mailing label on the back of it. She simply couldn't believe that Amanda was a subscriber; Good Housekeeping maybe but not Vogue. Francine spent the next few minutes thumbing through the magazine until Amanda returned.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long", Amanda said apologetically.

Francine looked up and saw Amanda dressed in terracotta colored silk dress, medium high heels and a matching handbag.

"Do you think this outfit is okay", Amanda asked as she fussed with the strap of her handbag.

"You look more than okay. You've obviously been studying this magazine. How long have you been reading Vogue", Francine asked casually as she stood so that they could leave.

"I used to buy it occasionally but it didn't have anything in it that fit in with the life that I was leading then. My life has changed a lot recently and I bought it again a few months ago because I wanted to get some ideas for a dress that I wanted to make. I found more than fashion advice; I found articles that relate to who I am now." _She hasn't said anything catty. Maybe we can have a pleasant conversation_ _that isn't strictly business._

"Did you make the dress you're wearing", Francine asked as she was once again impressed by Amanda's varied skills.

"No. I bought this one at a fantastic end of season sale last year."

The two women got back into the car and Francine turned to Amanda before she started the engine.

"What is the best way to get back to Georgetown without getting stuck in heavy lunch time traffic", Francine asked.

"You want my opinion", a clearly surprised Amanda asked.

"You drive in and out of Georgetown at all hours of the day and night. I'm sure you know which the best routes to take when are", Francine responded as she started the car. _I'm determined to find out if you're driving home from a certain Georgetown apartment in the middle of the night. It seems so unlikely but there is more to you than I used to think._

Amanda gave Francine directions and then they resumed their casual conversation until Amanda's curiosity concerning their assignment got the best of her.

"Francine, I don't mean to seem impatient but I'd really like to know what this urgent new assignment is. When Mr. Melrose spoke to me this morning he was adamant about my working on nothing but the Blackthorne report today. Do you know why he suddenly reassigned me", Amanda anxiously asked.

"After Billy left the bullpen this morning Dr Smyth came looking for him. We have reason to believe that some information that could be very damaging to the Agency may be passed by someone who is having lunch at Chez Nouvelle today. It's up to us to make sure that the information doesn't fall into the wrong hands." _I amaze myself sometimes. Depending on how you interpret what I just told her I wasn't even lying. If I'm lucky I'll keep her from saying_ _or doing anything else that would be detrimental to her career and Lee's as well._

"Oh, that does sound urgent. Do you know the person that we're supposed to be watching", Amanda asked.

"Yes, I've met her but I don't know her well", Francine responded as they neared the restaurant.

"Who is she? How is she tied to the Agency", Amanda asked while looking for potential parking places that would be close to Chez Nouvelle without being too close.

"Her name is Elisa Danton. She is a wealthy socialite who travels in very elite circles. She hangs out with men who are powerful and well connected. Every man in this town who wants to really make it big tries to get invited to her parties."

"I don't understand how a socialite poses a threat to the Agency. How could she even know that the Agency exists", Amanda asked.

"She knows about the Agency. She has been friends with Dr Smyth for a long time. Elisa knows several other people from the Agency as well. A few years ago she was quite cozy with our Scarecrow."

"Lee", Amanda squeaked, obviously not happy to have Francine in a position to tell her about another of Lee's former lovers.

Francine pulled into a parking space a discreet distance from the entrance to the restaurant. _Now I've really gotten her attention. If I can get Amanda to discuss how complicated things can get when you mix business and romance then maybe she'll listen to reason about her own situation with Lee._


	9. Chapter 9

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 9  
Francine and Amanda got out of the small red sports car and began walking the short distance to the entrance of Chez Nouvelle. Amanda was thinking about what Francine had told her about Elisa Danton and although Amanda generally tried to avoid dwelling on Lee's romantic past she couldn't help being curious about Elisa. Amanda abruptly stopped walking and it took a few seconds for Francine to realize that Amanda was no longer next to her. Francine turned around to face Amanda with a questioning expression on her face.

"Francine, I'm sure that your information about Miss Danton is correct but I really don't think that Dr Smyth would share information about the Agency with any woman; no matter how attractive she is. He's more protective of the Agency itself than he is of the people who work there"

"I didn't say that Dr Smyth's relationship with Elisa was romantic", Francine responded with a knowing smile.

"Well, I, I understand that in this business some of you have, um, relationships for business reasons", Amanda said while looking at her feet.

"We can discuss having personal relationships in this business later. Dr Smyth has known Elisa since she was a little girl. Her late father was a close friend of Dr Smyth's so Dr Smyth views Elisa almost like a favorite niece. Her father had an exemplary military career and then he made his fortune in the defense industry. Even if Dr Smyth didn't tell Elisa anything about the Agency she'd still have her own extensive connections in the military, the defense industry and in government.

"Now I'm really confused. If Elisa thinks of Dr Smyth as extended family than why would he worry now that she's sharing information that could be detrimental to the Agency", Amanda asked.

"It's getting late. I'll explain inside; I don't want us to lose our reservation." _Geez, I don't know how Lee deals with all her questions. I should be glad that she's killing time but I'm getting hungry and I can't field all her questions on an empty stomach._

The two women walked into the restaurant and were immediately greeted by the hostess.

"Good afternoon, Ms Desmond. It's so good to see you again. I have your table waiting for you", she gushed while picking up two menus with a flourish.

"Thank you so much, Renee. I appreciate that you fit us in at the last minute", Francine responded in her sweetest voice as they were led to their table. Amanda followed them but wasn't listening to their discussion of the lunch specials. She was trying to take in the elegant décor and look over all the other diners before she'd have to sit down. _There are quite a few beautiful_ _women here but none of them look like the type that Lee used to date. Is Elisa actually here?_

"Madam, is this table to your liking", Renee asked when Francine sat down at the table but Amanda was still glancing around the room.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I was distracted by the lovely surroundings", Amanda said as she hurried to sit down.

"I'll give you a few minutes to look over the menu and then I'll have your waiter come over to take your order. Would you like something from the bar", Renee asked Francine.

"No, thank you. This is a working lunch", Francine responded as she reached for her water glass. She sipped the water until Renee was out of earshot. Francine picked up her menu and began to look it over while waiting for Amanda's next question. A slightly embarrassed Amanda picked up her menu also.

"Is she here yet", Amanda whispered from behind her menu.

"She's the woman in the navy blue dress at the table that's four tables to our left", Francine whispered back. She could envision Amanda's attempt to discreetly sneak a look at Elisa but she didn't dare watch because she knew she wouldn't be able to keep a straight face.

"Francine, why did Dr Smyth send us here to watch someone who he has no reason to distrust?"

"It isn't Elisa that he doesn't trust. In this business and in the circles that they travel in people routinely use each other. People use each other to make contacts, arrange deals or simply pass information. It's routine most of the time but occasionally the wrong people get involved and damage can be done. Dr Smyth is worried that Elisa may have fallen for a man who is using her to get info about the Agency"

"If Elisa is as sophisticated as you've described she wouldn't fall for someone like that. She'd be too jaded. The people in this business don't have the same feel-"

"Are you telling me that you believe that anybody that's been working in or around this business for a long time doesn't have the same emotions as other people? People who've been devoted to the Agency for a long time aren't capable of having normal, loving relationships. We're all bad risks. Is that what you think", Francine challenged a shocked Amanda.

"I didn't say that. This business changes people; but everyone handles their experiences differently. There are happily married agents with families. Mr. Melrose is a perfect example", Amanda answered. "All I meant to say was that if a person was going to get involved with someone new they should take it slowly. If you don't take a long, hard look at the person that you're considering sharing the rest of your life with you could end up making a terrible mistake", Amanda concluded in a thick voice.

"Now I'm the one that doesn't understand. If you've decided that Lee is a bad risk than why are you jeopardizing your career to help and protect him? Your involvement in his rogue investigation of Blackthorne could hurt your future as a full time agent."

"Every new relationship involves risks. I've thought long and hard about whether or not to become romantically involved with Lee. I know all the reasons why it is a bad idea but I've also gotten to see a side of Lee that no one else has. I'm not going to sit here and discuss everything about the side of himself that he's not ready to share with others. What I am going to tell you is that I love him and he loves me. Lee accepts me for I am; every aspect of who I am. He'd never deliberately hurt me. I'd still be married if my ex had considered my needs and feelings over the course of our marriage even half as much as Lee has over the past few years."

"I'm sorry if I've misjudged your relationship with Lee without truly understanding it. I hope you'll both be happy but I'm still worried about you professionally", Francine said sincerely. "We're both women working in a male dominated profession. We are held to a different standard. We have to be smarter and tougher than the men just to be given the chance to compete for the same opportunities. I never thought that I'd admit this but you've earned your spot as an agent candidate; don't risk it."

"I appreciate your concern and I'm going to surprise you by admitting that you're partly right. When this whole mess with Blackthorne started all I could think about was being there for Lee. I got so caught up in placating him that I wound up making choices that weren't in either of our interests. I started to realize that earlier when I was working on my report for Mr. Melrose. Lee is still in rough shape and I plan to be there for him but not at the expense of my career"

Amanda and Francine's conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their waiter. They spent the remainder of their lunch engaging in small talk and watching Elisa's table. Francine decided not to risk upsetting Amanda by confessing that their assignment wasn't real so they spent the afternoon following Elisa on a shopping trip through Georgetown's finer boutiques. After following Elisa home Francine dropped Amanda off at the Agency to pick up her car.

Amanda arrived home just as her mother was beginning to prepare dinner. Amanda greeted her and explained that she would help her with dinner once she went upstairs and changed into comfortable clothes. When Amanda returned to the kitchen her mother was answering the phone.

"It's for you Amanda. It's Mr. Melrose", Dotty said as she handed Amanda the receiver but made no move to give her any privacy.

"Hello, Sir", Amanda said as neutrally as possible so that her mother's curiosity wouldn't be aroused any further.

"Is Lee with you", Billy demanded without any preamble.

"No. I haven't seen Lee since yesterday afternoon. I thought that you went to see him this morning"

"I did see him this morning. Our talk was cut short and I told him I'd be back this evening to have dinner with him", Billy explained.

"Are you looking for Lee because he didn't meet you for dinner?"

"I planned to meet him in his apartment because he wasn't in the best of moods. When I got to his apartment his car was still parked where it was this morning. The doorman let me go up but when I rang the doorbell he didn't answer. I rang several more times but he didn't answer so I picked the lock."

"You're inside his apartment and he isn't there", Amanda asked slightly apprehensively.

"If it were just that I wouldn't have called you. The apartment is a mess. There are things strewn all over the place", Billy advised her.

"Well you know Lee. When he's in a mood his housekeeping tends to suffer", Amanda said while trying hard to panic.

"Amanda, the apartment isn't just a little untidy. It's been ransacked. I think you should come over. Maybe you can tell if anything is missing."

"I'll be right there", Amanda answered and then ran out of the kitchen without offering her mother any explanation.


	10. Chapter 10

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 10

Amanda made the drive from Arlington back to Georgetown in even less time than it had taken Francine earlier in the day. She knew that she should be very concerned about Lee's well being, it wasn't like Billy to worry for no reason, but all her instincts were telling her that Lee was okay. She parked her car behind Lee's Corvette and rushed to the door of his apartment building where she was greeted by the doorman. 

"Hello, Mrs. King. Mr. Stetson is certainly having a lot of visitors today", remarked the doorman. 

"Hello, Walter. Did you recognize any of his visitors", Amanda asked as she began to question whether or not Billy had overreacted.

"Mr. Stetson's boss was here this morning. I let him go upstairs because I recognized him from previous visits and he said he was worried about Mr. Stetson. He came back this evening to have dinner with Mr. Stetson so I let him go up again. He phoned me at my post in the lobby a few minutes later to say that they would be expecting two more guests", Walter concluded.

"Have the other guests arrived yet?"

"No, they haven't. Mrs. King I'm beginning to think that I should have insisted on speaking to Mr. Stetson directly. I didn't want to bother Mr. Stetson unnecessarily because he'd been looking so worn out the past few days."

"Don't worry about it. You recognized our boss so it isn't as if you allowed a stranger into the building. Please excuse me, I have to go upstairs, they're expecting me." Amanda smiled reassuringly at Walter and continued to the elevator. As Amanda rode up in the elevator she couldn't help thinking about the fact that in the past few days she and Billy had both gotten into Lee's apartment by picking the lock. _What if Mr. Melrose is right? What if something has happened to Lee? No, I always sense when Lee is in trouble and I just don't have that feeling now. Well I can't say that to Mr. Melrose. I have to go in there and behave like an agent. I'm a logical person; I'll just have to use logic to convince Mr. Melrose that I'm right._ Amanda rang the doorbell and Billy opened the door almost immediately. The moment Amanda entered the apartment she was confronted by a bigger mess than she had ever seen in any of the apartments Lee had lived in.

"Oh my gosh", Amanda exclaimed while she began to slowly walk around the apartment. The photo of his parents that Lee kept on the end table was lying picture side down. Amanda picked it up, gazed for a moment at the images of the couple that she'd recently learned so much about, and placed it down in its usual place. As Amanda continued around the room she saw Lee's father's pipe lying on the carpet by the leg of the coffee table. She bent over, picked it up, and gently placed it on top of the photos that Billy had found on the floor and placed on the table when he had visited Lee that morning. Billy watched as Amanda walked around the living room as if it were her second home.

"I told you that something must have happened here after I left this morning. I've sent for a forensics team to go over the place. They should be here any minute", Billy stated as he watched Amanda continue to slowly walk from room to room. _I really should stop her from touching anything else. What am I worrying about; her fingerprints are probably all over this apartment already._

"Sir, are you sure that's a good idea? Lee doesn't like people going through his things."

"If something has happened to him we need to act quickly; take advantage of whatever leads we can find. When we find Lee we can worry about his desire to keep his private life private. He's the one who just dragged the Agency into his vendetta against Blackthorne", Billy said as his patience with Amanda's concern about Lee's feelings was running out. 

"Sir, have you taken a really hard look around this apartment", Amanda asked rhetorically. Drawers were left open with their contents spilling out. Cabinets that Lee usually had carefully organized were a shambles.

"That's all I've been doing since I got here. What are you getting at?"

"I've always prided myself on being a very logical thinker; even as a child I-"

"Amanda, it's been a tough few days for all us and I don't mean to be unkind but could you please get to your point", Billy asked as he pulled a roll of antacids from his suit pocket.

"Yes sir, sorry sir. There are no signs of a struggle; nothing is broken. It looks as though someone was frantically searching for something and as they became frustrated they stopped putting things away. I'd like to take a closer look around; maybe I can tell if something is missing."

"Wouldn't that violate Lee's privacy", Billy asked as he began to consider the points Amanda had made.

"Lee has gotten used to having me violate his privacy. I'd just like to take a quick look around his bedroom; I know what I'm looking for", Amanda answered as she walked towards the bedroom without waiting for Billy's response. Billy remained in the living room and popped another antacid. _This day is getting stranger and stranger. I'm not sure I even want to know what she's looking for. I'd like to believe that she's right about this; she does have good instincts.  
_

"I think Lee has gone off on his own. His extra gym bag that he keeps packed with a couple of changes of clothes and a toiletry kit is gone." 

"Amanda, I'd like to agree with you but the bag could be in his locker at the gym or in his car", Billy reasoned.

"Sir, there's more. His lucky comb is gone. It's an old comb with bent teeth; nobody but Lee would take that. He must have gone off somewhere to work through his feelings on his own." 

"That sounds reasonable but why would his car still be parked downstairs", Billy challenged. 

"I think Lee wanted to get away from here and from all of us. If he took his car it would be too easy for us to track him down", Amanda concluded sadly. _His mother's journal is gone too. Oh Lee, I thought you'd finally learned to come to me when you're hurting. Where have you run off to?_


	11. Chapter 11

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 11

Lee Stetson was sleeping fitfully; his upper body wedged in the corner where his seat met the wall of the plane. His long legs were scrunched against the seat back in front of him. The plane's cabin was dimly lit because it was an overnight flight and most of the passengers were dozing. The flight attendant began to make her rounds to collect the remnants of passengers' snacks as the flight would soon be arriving at its destination. As she rolled her cart down the planes narrow aisle the majority of the dozing passengers began to wake up. When she got to the final row of seats where Lee was sleeping she checked to see if he had anything that she needed to collect and couldn't help wondering why such a handsome man was traveling alone.

Fifteen minutes later the same flight attendant was once again walking up the center aisle of the plane. The pilot had instructed that all passengers should be wearing their seat belts and their seats should be in the upright position. When she got to Lee he was still sleeping with his seat in a reclining position so she tried to wake him by talking to him quietly so that she wouldn't startle him. Her attempt failed so she gently tapped his shoulder and said, "Sir, you need to wake up. We'll be landing soon."

"Mmm. Amanda, I'll get up soon", Lee responded sleepily with his eyes still shut.

 _He's traveling alone but I knew there had to be someone special in his life. How am I going to wake him without embarrassing him?_ "Excuse me, sir. You need to get up now", she said loudly while nudging his shoulder more forcefully.

Lee opened his eyes just as the pilot was making an announcement over the public address system. "We are making our final approach to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. The local time is 5:30 AM." Lee nodded at the flight attendant, moved his seat to the upright position and attempted to move his legs in the cramped confines of the coach seat he had purchased. _Nobody is going to find me here; not after all the false trails I created. If Smyth or the Secret Service wants me they're just going to have to wait until I'm ready to go back. I know Billy meant well yesterday but a lecture isn't what I need right now. And Amanda. I can't talk to her yet. If I'd let her she probably could have convinced me that I'd made peace with the past by clearing my parents' names. If only it were that simple. Instead of healing an old wound all I succeeded in doing was ripping the scab off. It's as though I've lost my folks all over again because they weren't who I thought they were._ Lee was briefly startled by the sensation of the plane's tires touching down on the tarmac. He could hear the passengers around him excitedly discussing their vacation plans as they gathered their luggage. Lee remained seated, his gym bag in his lap, too tired to jostle with the other passengers who were rushing to get off the plane. He hadn't gone to Las Vegas to gamble or see the shows; it was merely the biggest city close to his ultimate destination. Lee had made this cross country trek in hope of finding one person. A few weeks earlier he probably wouldn't have crossed town to see this person. Now he knew that this was the only person he could talk to about his recent discoveries. The crowd of passengers leaving the plane had thinned so Lee wearily rose, slung his gym bag over his shoulder, and trudged toward the exit.

Author's note: I'd like to apologize for posting such a short chapter. This past week several real life obligations took precedence over my writing. I'll do my best to get the next full length chapter completed as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience!


	12. Chapter 12

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 12

Lee trailed behind the other passengers from his flight as they exited the jet way and entered the quiet and largely empty terminal. The other passengers moved in an almost herd like fashion toward the baggage claim area leaving Lee to continue on towards the main terminal by himself. When he exited the arrival area he smelled the unmistakable aroma of fresh coffee and breakfast foods emanating from the food court segment of the terminal. It was still too early in the morning to embark on the next leg of his journey so he walked slowly towards the food court.

 _Ahh, that coffee smells so good._ As Lee got closer to the various food counters the aroma turned from enticing to simply greasy smelling. _I should be hungry. The last time I ate was that half sandwich on the flight from New York to Las Vegas. Maybe I'll just get a doughnut to go with the coffee._ Lee approached the nearest counter where he was promptly greeted by a thirty something bleach blonde in a very tight uniform.

"Morning, honey. What can I get you", she asked as she was checking him out from head to toe without even trying to hide her obvious interest in him.

"A large black coffee; cream and sugar", Lee responded. She got the coffee and placed the cup on the counter where Lee's hand was resting.

"Can I interest you in anything else", she inquired as she brushed her hand against his.

 _She's not the least bit subtle. What did I ever see in her type? I need some information so I'd better play along a little bit._ Lee put on his best Scarecrow smile and read the name on her uniform.

"It's still early, Suzy, you never know what I might be interested in later. Are you from this area?"

"I was born and raised right around here. I know the area very well; I could show you some sights you'd never forget", she practically purred.

"I'll keep that in mind. Do you know the best way to get to Nellis without a car", Lee asked while subtly easing his hand away from hers.

"There is a bus route that goes out that way. The bus stop is outside just past the taxi stand. It's not a long ride but you can't go out there on an empty stomach. What would you like to go with your coffee?"

"A glazed doughnut", Lee responded while stepping further back from the counter.

Suzy took the hint, got the doughnut, and told him how much his breakfast would cost. Lee handed her enough money to cover his bill and leave her with a nice tip.

"Thanks, honey. I hope you don't mind my saying so but you don't look like the Nellis type. Be careful out there."

"I'm always careful", Lee answered as he picked up his breakfast tray and strolled away. Lee sat down at a nearby table and slowly savored the coffee as he mechanically ate the doughnut. The food court area started to fill up with travelers who were catching early morning flights. _If I don't go out there now and get on that bus I might just talk myself out of this visit._ Lee threw what was left of the doughnut in a nearby trash can and headed off to find the bus stop.

Half an hour later Lee was onboard the bus headed northeast out of Las Vegas. The longer he rode the fewer signs of civilization could be seen as he looked out the bus windows. _Why are these places always located so far off the beaten path? The driver said it wouldn't be a long ride._ The bus turned off the main road onto a narrower side road that was lined with tall, nondescript fences for as far as Lee could see. He felt a familiar churning in his stomach as he realized that he'd reached his destination. Lee clutched his gym bag as he was assaulted by a lifetime's worth of memories. A couple of minutes later the bus came to a stop at the main gate of Nellis Air Force Base. Lee got off the bus with an expression on his face that was more Scarecrow than Lee. He'd come this far, he was determined to lay all the ghosts of his past to rest, and he couldn't do that without talking to his uncle.


	13. Chapter 13

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 13

Nellis Air Force Base, outer office of Colonel Robert Clayton 

Colonel Robert Clayton strode purposefully up to the desk of his assistant, Lieutenant Regina Simmons, and waited for her to get off the phone. He glanced around the sparsely appointed room and then looked back at Lt. Simmons who was holding the phone receiver so tightly that her fingers were turning white. _She always looks anxious but she seems more stressed out than usual. Wonder what's set her off now; I guess I'll find out soon enough._ When she showed no sign that the call would conclude soon he continued into his own office but left the door open. The moment Lt. Simmons hung up the phone she rushed to the open office door and waited for Colonel Clayton to acknowledge her presence.

"Good morning, Simmons. Is there a problem?"

"Yes, sir. I believe that your personal security may have been breached. I've been receiving inquiries about your presence here since yesterday afternoon", Simmons answered while ringing her hands.

"Where did the inquiries come from?" 

"I received calls from three different departments at the Pentagon. One caller said that he was calling about your nephew; the other callers said that someone claiming to be your nephew was asking questions about you. I knew right then-

 _What has he gotten himself into now? I hope he's alright._

"Sir, did I do the right thing?"

"Do the right thing. I'm sorry; I was distracted for a moment. What did you do", the colonel asked irritably, annoyed at himself for losing track of what she was saying.

"An MP called from the main gate a little while ago to say that there was a man at the gate claiming to be your nephew. I told the MP about the strange calls from the Pentagon and I let him know that you don't have any family", she responded proudly. 

"Why did you tell him that", Colonel Clayton shouted.

"But, Colonel, when we met last month I asked you if you had any family with you or any relatives that might phone you so that I could expedite their calls .You said no." 

A look of sadness crossed the colonel's face for a split second before his usual impassive expression returned.

"I said "no" meaning that I wasn't expecting any phone calls; not that I don't have any family. Were you speaking to the MP when I came in?"

Before Simmons had a chance to respond there was a loud knocking on the door to the outer office and shouting could be heard.

"Would you like me to handle this, sir", Simmons asked eager to get back in his good graces.

"No, you've handled more than enough already", Clayton barked as he rushed past Simmons, certain that he knew who was causing the commotion outside his office. He flung the door open and came face to face with Lee who was being restrained by two heavily armed guards; one of whom was aiming a gun directly at Lee's chest. 

"Lower that weapon immediately", Clayton shouted at the MP.

"Sir, we caught him sneaking onto the base after we refused him entry. He's claiming to be your nephew-" 

"I am his nephew", Lee snarled at the MP who still hadn't lowered his weapon. 

"Sergeant, he IS my nephew. Lower your weapon and let go of him. That is an order not a request." 

"Yes, sir, we're sorry sir. Your aide told us that you don't have any family so he was refused entry. Ten minutes later he was caught climbing over a fence; what were we to think", the MP concluded nervously as he looked at his very irate superior officer. 

"Let's write this off as a misunderstanding", Clayton responded in a more conciliatory voice. "I have one question for you. If you thought he was a security threat; why did you bring him to my office?"

"After he was apprehended we searched him and found that he's carrying high level federal ID. Since your project is so highly classified we thought we should let you have some input into what we should do with him. Can we leave him in your custody?" the MP asked as he released his grip on Lee and handed him back his gun and gym bag which they had taken from him earlier.

"It wouldn't be the first time", Lee muttered grimly as he and his uncle exchanged glances.


	14. Chapter 14

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 14

Colonel Clayton ushered the two MP Officers out the door and turned around to see Lee staring at the floor and shifting his gym bag from one hand to the other hand and back again. 

"Now that we're alone would you care to tell me what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into this time?"

"I'm not in any trouble and we're not alone", Lee stated with a nod towards the lieutenant who was standing awkwardly in front of her desk. Lee walked over to her, extended his hand and smiled at her.

"I'm Lee Stetson. I'm sorry to have gotten your day off to such a stressful start." 

Lt. Simmons returned his smile and was relieved that he didn't appear to share his uncle's temperament.

"I'm glad that you turned out to be who you said you were. If you'll excuse me I should return to my duties", she said as she stepped behind her desk. 

Colonel Clayton walked towards his office and indicated with a jerk of his head that he expected Lee to follow him. Lee followed him into the inner office and closed the door. The colonel sat down behind his desk while Lee remained standing near the door as his uncle shook his head disapprovingly at him. _I'm a grown man but somehow he still has the ability to make me feel like a scared seven year old. I've got to get a grip on myself or I'll leave without saying the things I came all this way to say to him._

"Now that we are alone you can tell me what kind of trouble you're in. You look like hell, Skip."

"I am not in any trouble; that's not why I'm here." _Well I'm not in any trouble that I can't get out of when I go back to DC._ Lee's shoulders sagged, he didn't look the colonel in the eye, and he wasn't bristling with the hostility that his uncle had grown accustomed to.

"Oh, no, you're not sick are you? You're not-", the colonel found that he couldn't finish his sentence. 

"No, I'm fine. Do you think I wouldn't come to see you unless I was dying", Lee asked, truly surprised that his uncle would think that.

"When you left", _me_ , "to start college you told me in no uncertain terms that you would never set foot on another military base for as long as you lived. Now you show up here unannounced, when you've never visited me before, and you do look like shit. What would you think if you were in my place?"

Lee flopped down in the chair in front of the colonel's desk and raked his hand through his already disheveled hair. 

"Ah, hell, I guess I'd think what you thought. I've had a really tough week. We need to talk, really talk, and not just provoke each other. Do you think we can do that", Lee concluded quietly. 

"I'd like us to have a really long talk but this isn't the time or place to do it", the colonel replied. "You need a few hours of sleep and I need to get official clearance for you to be on the base. Let me take you to my place so that you can take a nap. I'll straighten out this mornings security flap and then we can have lunch together."

"Your place, huh?" 

"Yes, my place, they've set me up with a small on base apartment. They want me to keep a low profile. My latest assignment is highly classified; most people don't even know my unit is here." Lee didn't immediately reply to him so the colonel took a deep breath and continued. "When I had that problem in DC a few years back you put me up at your place. Let me return the favor."

"Sure, why not", Lee replied as he was feeling overwhelmed by the physical and emotional exhaustion of the past several days. "Let's get going; I guess I could use a place to sack out for a couple of hours", Lee said as he slowly stood up.

"Where's the rest of your gear", the colonel questioned as he also rose to leave the office.

"This is it", Lee replied indicating his gym bag, as he proceeded his uncle out the door. The colonel shook his head imperceptibly and then shut the office door behind them. _One thing I've learned about dealing with Lee over the years is that if I push him to talk to me he'll shut down completely. I'll just have to let him tell me why he's here in his own time; but I hope he remembers that I'm not a patient man._

A short time later Colonel Clayton was driving his motor pool issued dark sedan towards his on base apartment. Lee sat silently next to him; looking out of the car's side window. _There is an overwhelming sameness to all these bases. I've never been here before but I'm sure that it wouldn't take me long to find my way around._ They rode through miles of buildings that only varied in height; they were all painted the same beige color and were surrounded by similar minimalist landscaping. Beyond what Lee judged to be office buildings were rows of air craft hangars with long air strips between them. Lee was surprised that although he saw several airmen outside the hangars there wasn't a single plane in sight. Before he had a chance to question his uncle about the lack of aircraft the car turned down a side road and Colonel Clayton slowed the car and cleared his throat. 

"Will you be staying inside the apartment until I come back to have lunch with you?"

"Yes, I told you I wanted to grab a nap. Is there a problem with my leaving the apartment", Lee asked in a sharper tone of voice than he had intended.

"I know that you aren't seven years old anymore. I asked because I haven't gotten you an appropriate visitor's badge yet. Security in this section is very high and I'd like to avoid having you get picked up again if you're walking around on your own."

"Sorry, I overreacted; I'll wait for you inside. Are we almost there yet?" _What a question; now I do sound like I'm seven again._ The colonel smiled at him for a moment and he couldn't help wondering if he had just read his thoughts. 

"Its right across this next intersection", the colonel answered as he pulled into a turning lane that led to a complex of one story garden apartments. He pulled up to a security booth at the entrance to the complex's parking area and flashed his ID at a guard who greeted him by name. They rode past several identical buildings and stopped in front of one that had very few cars parked in front of it. The two men got out of the car and Lee followed his uncle to the door of his unit. Colonel Clayton unlocked the door and waited for Lee to walk in.

"Make yourself at home. The guest room is the door on the left. I'll be back in a couple of hours", the colonel stated and then turned around and walked away; leaving a surprised Lee alone. Lee walked into the main room and noticed that it didn't contain a single personal item; he hadn't really expected it to look homey. He was about to go into the guest room when he spotted a small picture frame sitting on the desk that was on the far side of the room. Lee crossed the room and found himself looking at a photo of himself when he couldn't have been more than eight or nine years old. _I can't believe that he's carried this with him all these years. Could I have been as wrong about him as I was about my folks? Were any of them who I thought they were?_


	15. Chapter 15

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 15

Colonel Robert Clayton returned to his apartment nearly three hours after he had abruptly left Lee at the front door. He entered quietly so that he wouldn't wake his sleeping nephew and walked straight to the apartment's small kitchen. Clayton placed two bags of groceries and a file folder on the counter. _I wish I had paid attention to his likes and dislikes when he was growing up. There's bound to be something in these bags that he'll like. I'll just put all this stuff away and then I'll start making us some lunch._ After putting some canned goods in one of the cabinets he accidentally slammed the door. He walked to the door to the guest room to see if the noise had woken Lee and was surprised to hear Lee's voice from inside the room.

"Don't go; don't leave me", Lee yelled.

Clayton hurriedly opened the door and saw that Lee was in the throws of a nightmare. He rushed over to the bed and touched Lee's shoulder to wake him up.

"Lee, wake up. C'mon Lee, wake up", he implored as Lee appeared to respond to his voice.

Lee opened his eyes, felt tears streaming down his face, and saw his worried uncle standing over him. Both men, uncomfortable with open displays of emotion, turned away from each other. The colonel retreated to the door and then stopped.

"I'll give you a chance to get cleaned up from your trip here. I'm going to get our lunch ready. Come out to the kitchen when you're ready to eat."

A little while later Lee stood at the doorway to the kitchen, freshly showered, wearing a chambray shirt and well worn jeans. The colonel was busily breaking eggs into a bowl at the table that was already laden with the other ingredients for their meal.

"Wow, what's all this", Lee asked, shocked by the sight of his uncle actually preparing to cook a meal.

"I was going to make us omelets. I thought you needed more than just a sandwich; I'm sure you didn't have breakfast. I can make something else-"

"Omelets are fine, I'm just shocked, you don't cook", Lee responded, surprised by his uncle's eagerness to please him.

"I've learned; I just wasn't smart enough to learn from Barney back when you did."

"What can I do to help", Lee asked as he awkwardly shuffled his feet.

"I've got two kinds of cheese here. If you want some in your omelet you could dice it up", the colonel answered as he began to add diced onions to the bowl of eggs.

The two men worked in companionable silence for several minutes until the older man couldn't wait any longer for some clue as to what had upset his nephew. The colonel cleared his throat and turned towards where Lee was standing.

"Whatever you did; she'll forgive you", the colonel blurted out.

"I don't know what you're talking about", Lee answered without looking up from his task.

"Don't give me that bull. I'm proud of you for staying in a serious relationship for so long; don't blow it now. Amanda is a wonderful woman."

"That she is; but how did you know that I'm still seeing Amanda", Lee asked as he gave his uncle a hard look.

"Don't look at me that way. Amanda and I keep in touch; it was her idea. She knew that you and I wouldn't stay in regular contact so she decided to help us along a little bit. Don't be angry at her. She hasn't told me anything classified or private."

"I probably should be annoyed at her for not letting me know that she's been keeping in touch with you; but she means well. What I don't understand is why you think that she's annoyed with me."

"You're miserable and you're having nightmares. You begged her not to leave you. I'm sure she'll give you another chance if you don't wait too long to make things right with her", the colonel admonished.

"I wish what's bothering me was something as simple as an argument with Amanda but it is not."

"If that isn't bothering you than what is", the colonel demanded.

"It's the other secret that you've been keeping from me. The one you've been keeping for over thirty years", Lee responded bitterly.

"Lee, I can see that you're upset but I honestly don't know what secret you think I've kept from you."

"I want you to stop lying to me about the night that my parents died", Lee yelled at his clearly stunned uncle. "Don't you think that all the lying has done enough damage already?"


	16. Chapter 16

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings, chapter 16

"I want you to stop lying to me about the night that my parents died. Don't you think all the lying has done enough damage already", Lee yelled at his visibly stunned uncle.

"I've tried to be patient with you since you arrived but I won't tolerate your yelling at me when you are a guest in my home. I -"

"My staying here was your idea", Lee began to argue.

"That's beside the point. I didn't tolerate your disrespectful attitude when you were a child and I'm not going to tolerate it now."

"I didn't mean any disrespect", Lee conceded as he realized that their conversation had already gone off in an all too familiar direction. "All I want is for you to tell me the truth about that night."

"I don't know what you're so convinced that I've lied to you about. I have never lied to you about that night or anything else for that matter. Maybe we would have gotten along better if I'd been less honest in speaking my mind to you; but that isn't who I am. You should know that by now."

"I always trusted you in the past", Lee acknowledged quietly as he began to consider what his uncle was saying.

"What's changed that? Why would I lie to you about that night? I wasn't even in DC at the time; I was deployed in Europe. Word of the accident didn't reach me for two days. I barely made it back for their funeral. Your grandmother had to deal with everything alone, she was so upset, and I don't know how she got through it. I should have been there to handle all that for her", the colonel concluded guiltily.

"It wasn't your fault that Grandma had to deal with all that; it was their fault. She was a victim; just like we were", Lee stated bitterly.

"How dare you blame your parents for the aftermath of the accident that cost them their lives", the Colonel fired back at Lee. "They were innocent victims."

"It was no accident and they were far from innocent. They got themselves killed and we've been suffering the consequences of their actions ever since. If I hadn't discovered the truth I would've spent the rest of my life missing two people who never really existed."

"I won't listen to anymore of this nonsense. You were five years old, you couldn't possibly know what actually happened that night, and I'm not going to allow you to insult your parents' memories."

"I'm not five years old now and apparently I know a lot more about the life my parents were living than you do", Lee said sadly as he began to pace back and forth in the small kitchen. "I know that you must think that I've lost my mind but I haven't. I can prove that everything that I've said about them is true." Lee stopped pacing and looked sadly at his uncharacteristically silent uncle. "I've lived so much of my life based on who I thought my parents were and I blamed you for everything that I felt was missing from my life", Lee said while raking his hand through his hair. "I won't tell you that I'm not feeling hurt and confused by what I've found out about my parents but at least now I have a chance to leave the past where it belongs. I came here because I was certain that you'd kept the truth from me for all these years; I wanted to have it out with you once and for all. I didn't come here to destroy your good memories of them. My coming here was a huge mistake; I'll leave now, and let you get on with your life", Lee finished and began to leave the room.

"The hell you will", the Colonel shouted as he grabbed Lee's arm. "You can't come here and throw around a bunch of angry accusations about my brother and his wife and then turn tail and run because this confrontation didn't go the way you thought it would. I want and explanation of what you think you know and I want it now!"


	17. Chapter 17

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 17

"Have you ever known me to run from a confrontation with you", Lee asked in a measured voice as he looked down pointedly at where his uncle was still grasping his arm. "If I give you the explanation you're demanding; you may be hurt by what you find out. I didn't come here to hurt you. I think that we've spent way too much time hurting each other over the years."

"It's too late now to worry about the fallout from whatever you've discovered about your parents", The Colonel responded as he released his grip on Lee's arm. "Don't you think that I can find out whatever you've found out about them? It might take me longer, but I've got some connections in your world, and I'll use them if I have to. Why don't you save me the time and trouble by just telling me now? 

"Alright, I'll give you your explanation but first we should put this food away. I don't think either one of us has much of an appetite right now", Lee said as he began to wrap up the cheese he had been dicing earlier.

"Stop stalling", the Colonel barked at him. 

"I'm not stalling; I'm trying to figure out where to start", Lee responded while he continued putting the lunch fixings away while his uncle remained standing at the entrance to the kitchen. _There's no good way to tell someone something that's going to disillusion them about someone they had so much respect for._

"You could start by telling me what possessed you to investigate your own parents", the Colonel replied as he gave into Lee's wishes and helped him put the last of the food in the refrigerator.

"I didn't set out to investigate them per say. I was investigating the accusations that had been made against them in the months leading up to their deaths. I wanted to clear their names."

"They were buried at Arlington with full honors. That wouldn't have happened if they had been in any trouble. Your father's reputation was impeccable", the Colonel defended as he moved close enough to Lee to be just outside of his personal space.

"I'd always believed that too when I was growing up." Lee stepped back a few inches in hopes of reducing the increasing tension in the room. "I grew up wanting to follow in his footsteps. Why do you think I was so eager to get into Army Intelligence after I graduated from college?"

"I was surprised at the time. You hated the military life when you were with me and then you went and signed up. It took me a while to realize that it was a part of your plan to follow in Matt's footsteps", The Colonel said with an unreadable expression on his face. "Let's take this talk into the living room", he urged leading the way.

"Yeah, that had been my plan", Lee said as he followed his uncle into the other room. "When my tour of duty was almost up I decided it was time for the next step; I wanted to go into civilian intelligence just like he had", Lee continued as he flopped down on the chair opposite the sofa where his uncle had settled.

"Is there a point to this reminiscence? I'm still waiting for my explanation", the Colonel said irritably. 

"I'm getting there. I told you this wouldn't be easy to explain", Lee replied with a sigh. "I applied to the CIA and the FBI. I scored very well on the entrance exams, had no trouble with the physical trials and I thought that the interviews went well. I was invited back for a second interview by the CIA; I was in the running for a specific position. I waited and waited for a call or letter telling me the job was mine. While I was waiting I was working as part of a group of Army Intelligence officers who were assigned to work with a civilian intelligence operative. His name was Harry Thornton and we hit it off right away. When the assignment ended he offered me a job with the covert government organization that he had founded. I was flattered but I had my heart set on the CIA so I politely turned down his offer" 

"You do remember that I'm not a patient man, don't you", the Colonel interrupted.

"Yes, I remember that all too well. I'm closing in on the explanation that you asked for. When I turned Harry's offer down he responded by telling me that his offer was the best offer that I was going to get. I was angry and insulted and I let him know it in no uncertain terms."

"That I can believe", the Colonel interjected.

"Harry let me carry on for a while and when my temper had cooled he sat me down and asked me if I thought that I was man enough to handle an unpleasant truth that I wouldn't be able to do anything about. I said yes without even thinking it over. Harry told me that even though I was eminently qualified for the CIA job I'd never get it because of things in my parents' past. I was every bit as angry then as you are now but I trusted Harry. I defended my parents and demanded to know what they had been accused of. He told me that their files were classified and that I'd be better off letting it go and taking him up on his offer. Harry was the Agency's founder and I've never regretted taking him up on his job offer. He's been a very good friend to me over the years."

"You've lost me. If you trust Harry and took his advice to leave any questions about your parents actions in the past why are you here now accusing them of not being who you thought they were?"

Lee stood up and began to pace back and forth across the relatively small living room. His uncle silently watched him pace knowing that he couldn't rush his explanation of what happened next. "My life has changed so much lately, I've changed, I think for the better. I don't want to grow old all alone", Lee blurted and then looked uncomfortably at his uncle. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. I made my choices over the years and I have to live with the consequences. It's not too late for you. You love Amanda and she loves you; I'm sure of it. You have a chance to have a full life: don't screw it up!" 

"I'm trying not to screw it up. I've been thinking about the past a lot lately. If I'm going to have a fighting chance to build a future with Amanda I have to let go of all the old hurts and disappointments. The more I thought about my parents the more convinced I became that I couldn't let go of all the grief I'd buried inside until I cleared their names." 

"So when you started to dig into the past you found things that you didn't like. Is that what's brought you here", the Colonel asked sadly.

Lee abruptly stopped pacing and turned to face his uncle. "They weren't who I thought they were but than neither are you. I'm starting to understand so much now that I didn't before." 


	18. Chapter 18

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings, chapter 18

Lee abruptly stopped pacing and turned to face his uncle. "They weren't who I thought they were but than neither are you. I'm starting to understand so much now that I didn't before."

"You shouldn't expect to see your parents or me the same way now that you did when you were a small child. That doesn't mean that any of us deceived you; it's just that your perspective has changed", the Colonel argued.

"I know that I shouldn't be judging them based only on my memories of them. Hell, they've been gone for so long that sometimes I'm not sure what I actually remember and what's based on all the dreams I've had about them over the years", Lee concluded quietly.

"If you're acknowledging that you aren't sure of your memories than why are you so insistent that they deceived you", The Colonel asked as he was desperately trying to understand why Lee was so angry.

"They didn't just deceive me. They deceived you, and Grandma, and everyone that was close to them. I have CIA documents that prove it. While I was trying to clear their names I found a journal that my mother had been keeping. Boy, was that an eye opener. There were several passages that related to you. In all the years that I lived with you why didn't you ever tell me about Laura?"

"Leave her out of this", the Colonel yelled as he quickly rose from the sofa and then sunk back down just as quickly. 

"Sir, are you alright", Lee asked as he rushed to his uncle's side. "I'm sorry. This conversation has gotten way out of hand. We don't need to talk about this anymore."

"You started this and I intend to see it through. I'll tell you about Laura, she was the only woman I ever loved, and I walked away from her for what I thought was a very valid reason. We'd fallen in love and were discussing marriage. Laura wanted to start a family as soon as we got married. It was during the Korean War and I knew I was about to be deployed there. I told Laura that I wasn't willing to start a family until I got home safely. I knew what being a widowed mother of a young child had done to my mother; I didn't want to risk having that happen to Laura. We fought over it and ultimately went our separate ways. Your parents thought I was a fool for not being willing to take more risks in life."

"That doesn't surprise me at all", Lee said as he once again sat down opposite his uncle. "They took all sorts of unnecessary risks and left you to deal with the repercussions of their actions. They allowed you to promise to take care of me if anything ever happened to them."

"Why shouldn't they have asked me to care for you if it became necessary?"

"They should have let you know how many risks they were BOTH taking before they asked you to make that commitment. That was the very least that they owed you."

"What kind of risks was Jenny taking? She was a wife and mother; leading a quiet life", the Colonel asked. 

"She was a wife, a mother and an agent. That's right; she was an agent both before and after they got married."

"Okay, you've made your point. There was a lot that they weren't honest with me about. I still don't understand how you can blame them for their own deaths. They had so much to live for", the Colonel stated as he was trying to assimilate all that Lee had told him. "I can't believe that they put all of our futures on the line so that they could pursue their careers."

"I wish that it weren't true but it is. They were investigating a very ruthless man and he found out that they were on to him. He started to circulate false accusations against them in order to discredit them and derail their investigation of him. Instead of working within the system to pursue him with full CIA backup they took him on alone. They arranged to meet with him to discuss the evidence that they had against him. The meeting turned out to be a trap. He arranged 'the accident' that killed them and he was a free man until a few days ago."

"So you put him behind bars. I'm proud of you and I'm sure your parents would be too."

"There's no reason to be proud of me. I took a page out of my parents' playbook and allowed this case to consume me. I wasn't thinking clearly and I refused to listen to any of the people around me when they tried to get me to behave reasonably. I wound up in a situation where if I hadn't killed him he would have killed me. If Amanda hadn't followed me when I went to confront him I'd be dead now. I could have gotten her killed too and then it would be her boys who'd be growing up without a mother. I'm just as self absorbed as my parents were. As much as I wanted to build a life with Amanda I don't think I deserve to be with her", Lee confessed in a broken voice.

"Just when I thought that you'd finally grown up you start acting like a jackass again", the Colonel yelled at a stunned Lee.


	19. Chapter 19

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 19

"Just when I thought that you'd finally grown up you start acting like a jackass again", the Colonel yelled at Lee.

"How does my putting what would be best for Amanda and her boys ahead of what I want for myself constitute acting like a jackass? I've spent most of my life doing whatever I wanted to do and not giving any thought to how my actions affected the people around me. I'm determined to not be so self absorbed anymore."

"Don't you think that it should be up to Amanda to decide what's best for her and her sons", the Colonel asked in a deceptively calm voice. _Continuing to yell at him won't do any good, it never got me anywhere in the past, I'll just have to try and reason with him._ "She's in love with you; has been for quite a while. "How would she be better off if you ended your personal relationship with her?"

"If I break things off with her she'll be free to leave the Agency and go back to living the normal life she had before I dragged her into my world. She and the boys will be safe. She might even get back together with her ex; that would be good for the boys", Lee concluded as he slumped down in his chair. 

"Alright, that does it, I've been trying not to yell at you but that has to be one of the stupidest things you've ever said. Amanda will never reconcile with her ex. He abandoned her and their sons so that he could pursue his career ambitions on the other side of the world. You're angry at your parents for putting their careers ahead of your needs but they at least came home every night."

"Okay, I guess you're right about her ex; he was never good enough for Amanda, but you're wrong about the Agency. She'll be much better off if she resigns and never looks back. Billy and I can give her excellent references under the IFF cover. She won't have any trouble getting an office job."

"It's obvious that you've got Amanda's whole future planned out but there's one thing that you haven't considered", the Colonel replied.

"What's that", Lee asked as he was running down a list of the possibilities in his head.

"Amanda loves the work that she's doing and she's very good at it. It's pretty arrogant of you to assume that if she were no longer involved with you that she would resign from the Agency. You aren't always a picnic to be around; I doubt that she would have been putting up with your moodiness all this time if she weren't getting a lot of satisfaction out of doing the job itself." 

"You could be right. Amanda's really smart, has great instincts, terrific people skills and she; well she just sees things differently than the rest of us. She took to the work right from the beginning; even when she was driving me crazy she managed to help me solve cases. I guess she'd never be happy doing office work", Lee conceded.

"You've had a very tough few days. I don't think you should make any life altering decisions right now. How soon do you need to be back in DC?"

"There's no rush", Lee answered while avoiding eye contact with his uncle.

"So, you are in trouble with the Agency", the Colonel responded in a knowing voice.

"I wouldn't describe this situation as being in trouble with the Agency. Billy suspended me for two weeks. Last month I WAS in trouble with the Agency. They accused me of treason and issued a shoot to kill order when I took off to try to clear my name. This is just a wrist slap; Billy could have canned me if he'd wanted to."

"While I'd love to hear how you managed to get yourself accused of treason I have to go out for an hour or two. I need to stop by the hangars to check on my men's progress for the day. When I get back we can go out for an early dinner", the Colonel said as he stood up and smoothed out his uniform jacket. 

"Are we going to go to the Officer's Mess", Lee asked while standing up and stretching his arms over his head.

"No, I thought we'd go off base."

"I'm not really up for the ride back to Vegas. I'd like to have a quiet evening without all that flash."

"I wasn't planning to go to Vegas. There's a small place in the next town where we can get the best pizza you've ever had. It's got a very comfortable atmosphere. I'm sure you'll like it; Meg makes sure that everyone feels at home there."

"Meg?" Lee stopped stretching and gave his uncle a questioning look.

"Meg owns the place. She's a very classy lady." The Colonel turned away from Lee and made a show of searching the room for his hat. "There is a gym in this building where you can workout while I'm out. It'll make you feel better and help you sleep better tonight. I'll give you your visitor's badge, make sure you wear it at all times, and I'll give you my extra apartment key."

"That sounds good. I'm stiff from being cooped up while I was traveling." 

"May I make one more suggestion", the Colonel asked on his way out.

"Could I stop you?"

"I think you should call Amanda; she must be worried about you. Keep it short; don't get into an intense conversation, you're not ready for that yet."

"I'll think about it. See you later." The Colonel walked out and Lee closed the door behind him. Lee looked at the phone across the room, looked away, looked again and then picked up the visitor's pass that his uncle had left for him. He put the pass back down and looked back at the phone. _I may regret this later but I've just got to hear her voice. Besides I owe it to her to let her know that I'm okay._


	20. Chapter 20

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 20

Amanda was standing at her kitchen counter trying but desperately failing in her attempt to concentrate on the dinner she was preparing for her boys. She was still mentally berating herself for being so wrapped up in thinking about Lee and his problems that she wasn't paying attention to her children even when she was with them. Billy had given her permission to leave work early in order to attend the opening game of Phillip's soccer team's season.

Amanda had been sitting in the bleachers worrying about Lee and wondering about where he might be. She failed to see when a group of the boys had accidentally gotten tangled up and fallen to the ground with Phillip at the bottom of the pile. Amanda only found about the pile up when another of the mothers had come over to praise her for not rushing to the field the way some of the other mothers had. Phillip had been happy that Amanda hadn't "embarrassed" him by rushing over in front of his friends but Amanda couldn't forgive herself for being oblivious to what had happened in her presence. Amanda's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

"Hello", she said distractedly upon lifting the phone's receiver. 

"Hi, it's me, Lee." _I've got to keep this call casual. I don't want Amanda to know that I stared at this phone for an hour before I finally called her._

"Oh, Lee, are you alright? Where are you?"

"I'm okay. I'm with my uncle." 

"You're with the Colonel", Amanda asked incredulously.

"Yes. He's the only uncle I have", Lee replied not understanding why Amanda was surprised that he'd visit his uncle under the circumstances.

"Where are you", Amanda asked while being irked by his flip response to her prior question.

"Ah, I can't tell you where I am. I wish I could but-"

"What do you mean you can't tell me where you are? I understand that you want your space; I'm not planning to come after you. After what we've been through the last few days I think the least that you could do is tell me where you are", Amanda replied with a combination of hurt and anger creeping into her voice.

"Whoa, Amanda, you're right. I wish I could tell you where I am but I can't. My uncle is working on a highly classified project. I had a hell of a hard time finding out where he is." 

"Would that have anything to do with why you tore your apartment apart before you took off?"

"You saw the mess. I hope you didn't clean it up", Lee said, sounding embarrassed.

"Clean up that mess. Do you really think that I don't have anything else to do with my time but clean up your messes?"

"Amanda, please calm down. I don't expect you to clean up my messes. I've taken advantage of your good natured attitude for far too long. This mess, all of it, is my fault and I'll clean it up when I come home", Lee answered hoping that Amanda could hear the sincerity in his voice.

"You're coming home", Amanda responded in a calmer voice.

"Of course I'm coming home. My whole life is in DC. You, my friends and my career are all there", Lee said emphatically.

"Was that list in your order of personal priorities", Amanda asked trying to keep her voice sounding as light as possible.  
"Yes, Amanda, there is no one and nothing that is more important to me than you. I love you, I don't say that lightly, I've never said that to any other woman."

"I needed to hear that; I love you too. We have a lot to talk about-"

"We do have a lot to talk about; but not over the phone. I'm still pretty new to this serious relationship stuff but I do know that this is a talk that we need to have in person. I have so much to talk to you about."

"I'll be more than willing to listen. I have a lot of things to talk to you about too. I've got to hang up now because I'm making the boys dinner. Take care of yourself, Lee. Bye."

"Bye", Lee said to a dial tone at the other end of the line. _Why do I feel reassured and scared all at the same time?_


	21. Chapter 21

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 21

Lee sat silently beside his uncle as the older man drove towards the town where they would be having dinner. They had left the base nearly two hours later then they had originally planned because neither man had returned to the apartment during the time frame they had discussed earlier. Lee was replaying his phone conversation with Amanda over and over in his mind. He couldn't figure out why she seemed to be somewhat annoyed at him; after all she hadn't been annoyed at him when he saw her last. Lee decided that if he continued to dwell on these thoughts all the tension that his extended workout had helped him relieve would return. He concluded that his best course of action would be to engage his uncle in conversation.

"Sir, did you change your mind about our having pizza for dinner?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"When the guard at the gate asked you if we're going to Vegas for dinner you told him that we are going to Antonio's. I thought that you said that your friend, Meg, owns the place where we're going", Lee questioned.

"Meg is the owner, Antonio was her late husband, and she lost him weeks before the place was scheduled to open. They had moved here from New York City. Their dream had been to open a small place far from the stresses of the big city. They'd worked for months on finding the right location and then getting it set up and doing the hiring. One day Antonio, while out running errands, suffered a massive heart attack and died."

"Meg must have been devastated", Lee said as his thoughts moved from his own problems to consider someone else's.

"Yes, she was. Initially she wanted nothing more to do with the business; she blamed the pressures of getting it started for Antonio's death. Their family convinced her that his death would have occurred no matter where they were or what they were doing. It was better that he died pursuing their dream. Meg embraced that thought and she has committed herself to making Antonio's a success. She's quite a lady", the Colonel finished with a look of combined respect and fondness on his face.

They continued on in comfortable silence. Lee was surprised that his uncle had gotten to know Meg so well when he could only have met her six weeks ago or less. How much of himself the Colonel had shared was for now something that Lee was content to wonder about. Lee didn't want to jeopardize the rapport that he and his uncle were trying to establish by pushing him too far by asking a bunch of personal questions. The Colonel pulled into Antonio's parking lot, turned off the car's engine, and turned to face Lee.

"I need you to do something for me when we go inside."

"What is it?"

"Don't call me "Colonel" when we're in there. Meg knows I'm a career Air Force officer but she only knows me as Bob. I only wear civvies in there and I don't discuss what I do", the Colonel advised Lee.

"I haven't called you "Colonel" once since I arrived. I can see now that colonel is just a rank it isn't who you are. I have to admit that I'm not quite ready to call you Uncle Bob yet-"

"I'm not ready to hear it yet; but we're making progress. Let's go inside; I'm starving", the Colonel said as he opened his car door and got out.

They walked around to the front of the restaurant and smelled a mouth watering aroma before they had even gone inside. As soon as they went in they were greeted by a young woman who was standing behind the take out counter that was located at the front of the restaurant.

"Hi, thanks for coming in tonight. Are you here to pick up an order or would you like to be seated?"

"We'd like a -", the Colonel began to respond when he was interrupted by a woman's voice from across the room. The voice belonged to a pretty woman with graying blonde hair. Lee was struck by her sparkling blue eyes and warm smile as she rushed over to them.

"Bob, it's so good to see you", she greeted and then she noticed Lee standing just behind him. "You must be Lee", she said extending her hand to him.

"Yes, ma'am, I am. How did you know", Lee asked as he grasped her extended hand.

"Your uncle showed me an old snapshot of you that he keeps tucked in the back of his wallet. You're a lot taller now but otherwise you haven't changed that much over the years."

' _He's actually changed more then I would have thought was possible if you'd asked me just yesterday',_ the Colonel thought to himself. "Oh, where are my manners? Lee, this is Meg", the Colonel said as he realized that he had failed to introduce his friend to his nephew.

"Let me get you two seated. Would you like your usual table by the kitchen door or would you like a better table since Lee is with you", Meg asked as she picked up two menus.

"The usual table is fine so you can visit with us later if you aren't too busy", the Colonel answered with a smile. Meg seated them, placed a basket of fresh bread sticks on the table, and excused herself so that they could look over the menus.

"I'm probably pushing my luck by asking this but I can't help myself. I know you took my advice about going to the gym; did you take my advice about calling Amanda", the Colonel asked while lowering his menu.

"Yeah, I called her", Lee answered while making a point of remaining hidden behind his menu.

"Didn't go well I take it", the Colonel responded sympathetically.

"I wish I knew for sure. I've loved her for a long time but there are times when she still confuses the hell out of me", Lee confessed. "I called her and let her know that I'm here with you but she still seemed kind of angry with me."

"Are you saying that you left a lady that you're in a serious relationship with a brief note or phone message to explain why you abruptly left town and you don't know why she's annoyed at you? I'm sorry; that's none of my business", Meg said as she placed two plates of antipasto salad on the table and began to walk away.

"Please don't go. I think I might need a lady's perspective on this situation. Do you mean to tell me that I should have called her BEFORE I left town? I thought about calling her but I was afraid that she might have talked me into waiting until I calmed down before I came here. I guess I could have left her a note but I'm used to picking up and just going whenever I feel like it."

"Your uncle mentioned that you've always played the field in the past. Is this your first long term relationship?"

"Yes", Lee answered with an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Lee, I think you definitely need a lady's point of view so that you don't blow your chance to be truly happy. When you find the right person you shouldn't expect that you two will live happily ever after if you don't work at the relationship every day."

"I figured that if I was getting things wrong Amanda would let me know it", Lee responded casually.

"I think she just did", the Colonel interjected.

Lee sighed and hung his head sadly. He was determined to do whatever he had to do to make Amanda as happy as she'd already made him.


	22. Chapter 22

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 22

Amanda was sitting at her desk in the Q Bureau buried in what Lee called 'busy work'. Although she would never admit it to Lee, she had come to find these assignments mind numbingly boring ,she'd much rather be out in the field. _I think he's rubbed off on me over the last four years and I know that being around me has certainly changed him. It's been so hard to live with the two steps forward one step back nature of our relationship. Why did I think that that would change just because he was finally able to tell me that he loves me._

Amanda picked up the next file folder from the stack of case files on her desk. She had to write a brief summary of each case for Billy's monthly meeting with Dr Smyth. Amanda began to read through the material in the file but her mind returned to the phone conversation she'd had with Lee the previous evening. _What's wrong with me? I've spent so much time encouraging him to reach out to me and then when he did I cut him off. Well I did have a right to be angry at him for taking off without a word to me but then again I suppose he's lived most of his life not having anyone who cared about his comings and goings. I've got to concentrate on these reports; there's nothing that I can do about Lee until he calls again._

While Amanda was thinking about Lee he was sitting in an airport terminal thinking about her. After spending a relaxed evening with his uncle and the Colonel's friend Meg Lee struggled to choose between staying longer with his uncle and going straight home to Amanda. Lee hated to cut his visit to his uncle short when they were finally getting their relationship on the right track but he ultimately decided that nothing was more important to him than making things right with Amanda. He'd headed home with the Colonel's blessings.

Lee had planned to call Amanda from the terminal while he was waiting for his connecting flight to board so that she would know when he'd be getting home. The moment Lee walked into the terminal he knew that he wouldn't be getting home anytime soon. The terminal was packed with travelers who were stranded when the airport authorities put a hold on all outgoing flights due to a dangerous storm system that was approaching the area. _There's no point in calling Amanda now when I can't give her any idea when I'll be home. I guess I'll just have to surprise her._ Not long after Lee settled in for what he hoped would be a relatively short wait the national weather service issued a tornado warning for the area where the airport was located.

Several hours later Amanda was still working her way through the stack of folders that were piled on the corner of her desk. _Why is that stack still so high? Maybe it's because I've been thinking about Lee instead of concentrating on these files. That man has the ability to completely distract me even when he's; well wherever he is._ Amanda's musings were interrupted by a perfunctory knock at the door. Billy came in before Amanda had had a chance to respond to his knock.

"Hello, Sir. I'm sorry I haven't made more progress with these reports. I'll stay late and continue to work on them. I don't have to get home; the boys are with their father for the weekend and Mother's away with a friend."

"That won't be necessary, my meeting with Dr Smyth isn't until Tuesday, and you'll have plenty of time to complete the reports." Billy looked at Lee's empty desk uncomfortably and then turned his attention back to Amanda. "Amanda, have you heard from Lee since he left town", Billy asked in what he hoped sounded like a casual voice.

"Yes, he called me last night. I didn't mention it to you because I thought that since he's been suspended that the Agency wasn't concerned with his whereabouts. Not that I could tell you where he is because I can't since he wouldn't tell me where he is. I'm sorry I know I'm rambling; it's just that I ended the call rather abruptly and now I'm waiting for him to call again so-"

"Amanda, I didn't come to find out where Lee is. I know where he was", Billy interrupted in a strained voice.

"How did you find out? Lee told me that he couldn't tell me where he was. He's visiting his uncle and the Colonel is working on something that is highly classified"

"Yes, that's true. When Lee arrived at the installation where his uncle is currently posted he was refused admittance so he tried to sneak in. He was caught by the military police so he showed them his Agency ID after they spotted the gun he was carrying. Ultimately he was escorted to the Colonel. The military police were trying to clean up loose ends earlier today so they called the Agency to verify that Lee's ID was current."

"Why are you telling me this? Is Lee in more trouble with the Agency because he snuck into the Air Force base with his Agency ID on him", Amanda fretted.

"No, I wish that was why I'm here. I had a question that only Lee could answer so I tried to get in touch with him through the Colonel." Billy looked at Lee's desk again as the knot in his stomach tightened. "Amanda, I think we should sit down while I tell you about my conversation with the Colonel." Amanda was becoming increasingly aware that there was something that Billy was avoiding telling her. Part of her wanted to run from the room but the other part needed to know what was wrong. If Lee needed her there was no place that she wouldn't go to in order to help him. Amanda sat down and looked at Billy expectantly.

"When I was connected to the Colonel's office he told me that Lee had decided to come home. He didn't like the way he left things with you. Lee was-"

"Lee's on his way home", Amanda interrupted in the desperate hope that if Billy didn't say what she thought he was going to say then it wouldn't be true.

"Amanda, please listen to me and then I will try to get answers to all your questions." Amanda nodded silently and waited to hear what Billy had come to tell her.


	23. Chapter 23

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 23

The moment that Billy sat down with Amanda on the small sofa in the Q Bureau he began to rethink his initial urge to rush to her with the news he'd received about Lee. _What am I doing here? I'm making sure that Amanda doesn't hear bad news about Lee from anyone who doesn't realize how much they care for each other. I'm here but I-  
"_Sir, sir", Amanda repeated quietly to gain Billy's attention as she noticed that he appeared to be lost in his own thoughts.

"Yes, Amanda", Billy responded as her large brown eyes looked at him intently.

"A few days ago I told Lee that I'm stronger than I look; I really am. Please just tell me whatever it is that you've come to say", Amanda said as she clenched and unclenched her hands in her lap.

"When I spoke to the Colonel a little while ago he told me that Lee had decided that he wanted to get home as soon as possible. The Colonel drove Lee to the airport and waited with him while he was making his flight arrangements. The only direct flight that was available wouldn't have landed in DC until very late tonight so Lee decided to take an indirect route that would get him home much sooner. The first leg of the flight landed in a small airport outside of Dallas. While Lee was waiting for-"

"Please", Amanda begged as she began to feel as though all her worst fears were coming true. "Just tell me what's happened to Lee; I need to know."

"I wish it were that simple; but it isn't. I know some of what happened but I don't have all the answers that you deserve", Billy responded. _Tell her already. Putting it off won't make this any easier for her to hear. She'll need time to prepare herself if it's as bad as it could be._

"Mr. Melrose, I have to know what happened. Do I have to call the Colonel myself?"

"That won't be necessary", Billy said as he squared his shoulders and began to tell Amanda all that he knew. "When Lee's flight landed he found out that all the departing flights had been temporarily grounded due to severe weather in the area right around the airport. Shortly after that the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for that area and the surrounding suburbs."

"Oh my gosh", Amanda exclaimed as the color drained from her face. She couldn't bring herself to say anything but she nodded for Billy to continue.

"Within a few minutes of when the tornado warning was issued a small but powerful tornado struck the oldest terminal at the airport. It hadn't been built to present day standards so there was severe damage. The tornado passed quickly but there was still very bad weather in the area. Rescue workers are getting there as quickly as they can."

"That's awful; but Lee could have been in one of the other terminals. I'm sure he's fine, maybe a little shaken up, but fine", Amanda said in a voice that suggested that she didn't believe that herself.

"The airline that Lee was flying only operates out of the damaged terminal. The authorities down there are doing everything possible to get to the victims quickly. I've put a call into the Agency's Dallas office. Our people will get us as much detailed, current information as they can. The Colonel is using his contacts to get information also", Billy finished sadly.

"That's not good enough", Amanda shot back. "I'm flying down there now."

"You can't do that", Billy fired back.

"If our places were reversed you know that Lee would-"

"I don't doubt that but in this case nobody is flying into that area. All the flights are still grounded. Let me have Francine drive you home. She can stay with you while we wait for news."

"No, thank you. I'll wait at Lee's apartment. Alone", Amanda said as she rose from the sofa. She walked across the office, took her handbag from her desk drawer, and left the office without allowing the tears that were burning her eyes to fall.


	24. Chapter 24

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 24

Amanda found herself standing at the door to Lee's apartment with no memory of the short drive from the Agency. She was trying desperately to believe that Lee was nothing more than a little shaken up as she'd told Billy. Her shaking hands, as she worked at picking the lock, betrayed how worried she truly was. The lock finally gave way and Amanda entered the apartment where she and Lee had spent so much time over the last few months.

As Amanda looked at the messy state that the apartment was still in she was reminded of her last conversation with Lee. If only she hadn't let her anger get the best of her Lee might have told her why he'd gone to see his uncle. Amanda began to absently pick things up and put them away. _Lee is much more comfortable talking to me about his feelings then he used to be. Why didn't he come to me with whatever is troubling him? Why would he go to the Colonel; they've never been able to talk to each other about their feelings._ Amanda picked up several books that were lying on the floor and placed them back on the shelf where they belonged. _I thought that Lee was glad that I talked him into confiding in me about his investigation into his parents' past. Did he find out something that he thought he couldn't share with me? Doesn't he know by now that there isn't anything that he can't talk to me about? After all, there's nothing that I won't talk to him about. Liar._ Amanda knew deep down that there were certain topics that she avoided discussing with Lee; even when he specifically asked about them.

Amanda sat down on the sofa and clutched a throw pillow to her chest. _Mr._ _Melrose_ _and Francine think that I've changed Lee so much but they have no idea how much meeting him has changed me. I can't lose him now. You have to be strong, Lee; I need you to come back to me._

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Lee was feeling tired and as soon as he moved slightly he felt sharp pain. _I think I'll go back to sleep. I'm bound to feel better later._ Lee was about to allow himself to go back to sleep when he heard a faint whimpering sound. _What the hell is-_? Lee was startled by a slight movement under his chest and he opened his eyes and suddenly remembered how he wound up in his current state.

When the tornado warning had been issued the airport management moved all the passengers and staff to the few places that weren't in the path of the terminals huge glass windows. Lee was seated on the floor next to a young mother who was traveling with a baby and a small boy. The woman looked as though she was frightened but didn't want her son to be scared so she allowed him to continue playing next to her. The thunder and lightening outside drew the boy's attention as the roar of the funnel cloud drew closer.

"I wanna see what's happening out there", the boy exclaimed as he dashed from their safe hiding place.

"Stay with the baby", Lee yelled at the boy's mother, "I'll go get him". Lee ran after him and reached him as he was getting dangerously close to a huge glass window. Lee pushed him to the floor just as everything around them began to be ripped apart. Lee's thoughts returned to the present as the small child underneath him reminded him that they were still in danger.

"Mister, please don't go back to sleep. I'm scared", the boy said as Lee rolled his weight off the child's body but found that they were trapped under a large pile of debris.

"Don't be scared. I'm awake now and I'm going to get us out of here", Lee reassured the boy. _Jeez, how long was I out and how am I going to get us out of here?_ "My name is Lee. What's your name?"

"My name is Andy."

"Andy, do you know how long I was sleeping?"

"It seemed long. I'm only four so I can't tell time yet. My mom says I'll learn that next year when I start school."

"While I was sleeping did you hear any people nearby", Lee asked as he tried to assess how soon help might arrive.

"I heard voices but I couldn't hear any words. I heard noises, too. Banging and scraping; is that good?"

"Yes, that's good. I'm going to need your help to get us out of here", Lee said as he was berating himself for not being able to get them out without the boy's help.

"You really think I can help? My mommy and daddy always say I'm too little to do stuff."

"I'm sure you can help. In this case it's very good that you're small", Lee said as he tried to look at Andy's face in the mostly dark space they were trapped in.

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Amanda spent several hours cleaning the apartment and reliving the ups and downs of her relationship with Lee. The phone began to ring as Amanda was straightening up the bedroom. She grabbed it on the second ring and answered with a raspy hello.

"Amanda, its Billy."

"Is Lee okay", Amanda begged to know.

"I'm sorry, Amanda. I haven't been able to get any information about Lee specifically. There have been dozens of injuries; some of them are serious. I've tried to reach the Colonel but I haven't been able to get through to him." The sadness and frustration in his voice was obvious to Amanda even over the phone.

"Sir, I know you're trying but I don't know how much longer I can wait for some kind of definite news about Lee. I need to do something."

"I understand how you feel. If we haven't gotten any information about Lee by morning I'll go down there with you. I suggest that you get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day."

"Thank you so much, Sir. I'll talk to you first thing in the morning. Good night."

Amanda hung up the phone and sunk down onto Lee's bed. She was terribly disappointed that Billy didn't have any good news but she was also relieved that she hadn't received the terrible news that she might have. Tomorrow she would get answers but for tonight she would take Billy's advice and try to get some sleep. Amanda curled up on the bed with her arms wrapped around Lee's pillow.


	25. Chapter 25

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 25

Lee sat slumped in a first class seat on a flight home to DC. He was exhausted but he was too wired to fall asleep so he was reflecting on his latest brush with death. Lee was fairly certain that in the past the thought of being alone with a four year old would have bothered him more than being trapped alone under a pile of rubble with no rescuers in sight. _Have I changed that much? I've never taken the time to get to know any kids; except for Amanda's boys. They're great kids. I care more about them then I would've thought possible. Slow down Stetson, Amanda has made it very clear that she doesn't want you around her normal family. Do I have a right to expect more from her than she is willing to offer?_ In an effort to escape from his troubling thoughts Lee pulled the airline magazine out of the pocket on the seat in front of him.

It was almost sunrise when Lee arrived at his front door. He let himself in and walked through the darkened living room without noticing that it had been cleaned up. Lee walked into his bedroom and was about to drop his gym bag on the bed when he saw Amanda curled up clutching his pillow. Finding her there waiting for him made him feel that he was truly home.

"Amanda", he whispered as he brushed hair back from her face. Amanda sleepily reached for his hand before she fully registered that he was really there. When Lee took her hand in his her eyes shot open. 

"Oh my gosh; you're really here", she gasped as she grabbed him; pulling Lee down on top of her. They shared a slow, tender kiss before Lee pulled away from her.

"Wow, I've wondered what it would be like to fall into bed with you, now I know", Lee said as he reached for her again. As Amanda returned his embrace she felt a large bandage on his upper arm and pulled back to look him over more carefully. 

"You're hurt", she exclaimed while reaching for the bedside lamp.

"I'm okay. They stitched up my arm and my forehead only needed to be bandaged, no stitches necessary. I'm hard headed", Lee laughed.

"That's not funny. You could have been killed. I'm so glad that I'm here to take care of you. Why didn't you call me? Are you in pain? Have you eaten?"

"Whoa, Amanda, slow down. I didn't call you because I didn't know that you knew that I was in any danger. I'm feeling pretty sore. I think taking a hot shower will help. If nothing else I can wash off the dried blood and dirt and, no, I haven't eaten lately."

"Okay, you go take your shower and I'll go make us some breakfast. I don't want to hear any arguments from you, buster. You will be eating breakfast today", she said; shooting him her best mom look.

"Yes, ma'am", Lee responded with a mock salute as he walked towards the bathroom. Amanda smiled at him and headed to the kitchen.

Amanda returned to the bedroom thirty minutes later to find out whether or not Lee was ready for breakfast. Since Lee was still in the bathroom Amanda decided to take the dirty clothing from his gym bag and add it to his other dirty laundry. Amanda unzipped the bag and looked down at a picture of animals that had been drawn in crayon by a small child. She picked up the drawing that had the name Andy written in the lower corner and turned it over. On the other side of the paper were the name Karen and a phone number written in an adult's handwriting that wasn't Lee's. Lee came out of the bathroom dressed only in his pajama bottoms.

"I think you have a lot of explaining to do", Amanda accused as she waved the drawing at Lee. "Were you ever going to tell me about Andy? Which one of your black books was Karen in", Amanda practically spat at Lee.

"Andy is", a shocked Lee began to answer before stopping himself in mid sentence when he realized what Amanda was thinking. "You think that Andy is my; that Karen is some old girl friend. You should know me better than that. If I was lucky enough to have a child I wouldn't have turned my back on him. I'm not like your ex. I think that you should leave now", Lee said, turning his back on Amanda and returning to the bathroom.


	26. Chapter 26

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 26

Lee snuck into Amanda's backyard an hour after he had angrily suggested that she leave his apartment. If anyone else who knew about his past with women had jumped to the conclusion that Amanda had he wouldn't have been surprised. Lee was certain that Amanda knew him better than anyone else; how could she think that he would choose to play virtually no role in the life of his own child? Amanda had hurt him but he was determined to make things right between them. He had to talk to her and he wanted it to be in person.

Lee was exhausted and distracted as he took his usual path through the hedges so he didn't realize that he was making more noise then he usually did. Dotty, who was in the kitchen, heard the noise and decided that this time she would try to catch the person that she suspected Amanda had been secretly spending time with in the yard. When the backdoor opened Lee emerged from the bushes, spotted Dotty, and ducked back into the bushes.

"Don't you dare try to sneak away; I saw you this time", Dotty advised as she walked closer to where a shocked Lee was hiding. Lee wanted to meet Dotty but he'd wanted it to be on his terms but it was too late to worry about that now. Dotty's feet stopped in front of where Lee was hiding and she looked down at him. "You must be Mr. Stetson. I've wanted to meet you for a long time", she said with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Yes, ma'am, I'm Lee Stetson, I work with Amanda. I feel as though I already know you, ahh, Amanda talks about you often", Lee answered awkwardly.

"You've spent a lot of time out here; you must have learned quite a bit about us by now", Dotty replied pointedly.

"I know this must seem strange but I can explain", Lee said as he stood up and began shuffling his feet.

"That should be interesting to hear; why don't we talk about it in the kitchen. I assume you've been INSIDE the house occasionally", Dotty said as she led the way to the backdoor. Lee followed Dotty inside and glanced around nervously; hoping to see Amanda.

"She isn't home. You two must have had quite a fight", Dotty said to an increasingly agitated Lee. "Don't look so surprised; I'm not a fool, I know my daughter has been involved with someone from work that she won't talk to me about. Amanda wasn't expecting me to be home this morning so she was surprised to see me when she came in and slammed the door behind her. I asked her what was wrong but she said that she didn't want to talk about it. Amanda said that she was going to go for a drive to clear her head. I told her in no uncertain terms that she wasn't driving anywhere in the state that she was in. She was annoyed but she agreed to take a long walk instead."

"I'm glad that you stopped her from driving. We did have a misunderstanding", Lee responded. _Now I know where Amanda picked up the tendency to ramble._

"Misunderstanding; is that what you call it", Dotty asked with an arched eyebrow. Dotty was sure that the man that was standing in front of her was the reason that Amanda had begun to behave strangely and keep so many secrets from her. She wanted to distrust and dislike him but she found that she couldn't.

"It was a misunderstanding; Amanda jumped to a mistaken conclusion and I let my hurt feelings keep me from setting her straight. I'd like to stay and talk longer but I don't think Amanda would be comfortable with the idea of me spending time with you. I'm not someone that most women would be inclined to bring home to meet their mothers", Lee confessed.

"I could easily blame you for the distance between myself and Amanda but I'd be fooling myself. Maybe she didn't want to talk to me about you because I tried to push her into marrying the last man that she had a serious relationship with. She didn't have to make up so many crazy stories about what she's been doing; she could have simply told me that there were things that she didn't want to discuss with me. I wouldn't have liked it but I could have accepted it."

"Amanda has told me many times how much she loves you. She hasn't liked the idea of being less than honest with you", Lee stated in hopes of diminishing the damage his presence in Amanda's life had caused. Dotty couldn't help but appreciate Lee's wanting to respect Amanda's desire to keep their personal relationship private but she wanted to get to know this man that was obviously so important to her daughter. She didn't want to let this chance slip away; she didn't know when or if she'd get another chance.

"Let me suggest a compromise that would allow us to get to know each other without betraying Amanda's wish to keep her personal life private", Dotty suggested hopefully.

"What is it", Lee asked warily.

"Would you be willing to tell me a little bit about your life before you met Amanda?"

"I guess that's only fair since I've had the chance to learn about you through Amanda", Lee replied. _I don't want to lie to her. What can I tell her about my past that won't make her want to keep me away from Amanda and the boys at all costs?_


	27. Chapter 27

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 27

Dotty was standing by the kitchen sink, cleaning up after the impromptu snack that she'd served Lee, when she saw Amanda through the window. Amanda was slowly walking along the perimeter of the yard. _This time I've got the upper hand and I intend to get some straight answers from her._ Dotty dried her hands and watched as Amanda began to search the yard more aggressively. Dotty quietly opened the back door, stepped outside, and closed the door as quietly as she'd opened it.

"Amanda", she called out, startling her preoccupied daughter.

"Yes, Mother", Amanda replied as she turned around to face Dotty.

"You won't find him out here, darling", Dotty stated nonchalantly.

"Find who, Mother? What makes you think that I was looking for someone", Amanda replied as calmly as she could.

"Okay, maybe I was mistaken, but if you were looking for someone you'd find him in the house", Dotty responded; thoroughly enjoying having the upper hand this time.

"Who's in the house", Amanda asked even though she was sure she knew the answer that she'd receive.

"Lee", Dotty answered, fully intending to make Amanda squirm.

"What's HE doing in the house", Amanda exclaimed in a voice that made it obvious that she was aghast.

"Calm down, Amanda. You're making it sound as though he weren't house broken."

"That's not funny, Mother. You know what I meant", Amanda replied sharply. "What is Lee doing in the house", she continued in a deliberately calmer voice.

"At the moment, he's taking a nap in the family room. He almost passed out at the kitchen table", Dotty explained in a more caring tone.

"Oh my gosh, I've got to go check on him", Amanda said as she tried to move past her mother.

"No, let him sleep, he needs the rest", Dotty advised. Amanda remained where she was standing, looked down at the grass, and then took a deep breath and looked directly at her mother.

"Mother, I can see that I've got a lot of explaining _and apologizing_ to do, but right now can you just tell me what happened to Lee?"

"I know you were with him earlier so you must know about his injuries", Dotty began her reply.

"Yes, he seemed to be okay when I left him", Amanda answered as she started to feel guilty about hurling accusations at him instead of taking care of him.

"He may have seemed to be okay but he wasn't. Lee lost a lot of blood, has had very little sleep, and all that he's eaten since yesterday morning was a muffin and half of a cereal bar."

"How did you know that something was wrong with him?"

"We were sitting at the kitchen table and talking about his childhood. I started to notice that his face was paling but I thought that it was because of the painful topic that we were discussing but then his hands started to shake. He said he wasn't feeling so good so I got up and helped him to put his head between his knees."

"Oh, Mother, what happened next", Amanda asked as she began to twist her hands.

"He started to feel a little better after a couple of minutes; that's when I found out about his injuries and that he hadn't been taking care of himself. I insisted that he eat something right then. Lee was falling asleep as he was eating the snack I gave him. I insisted that he take a nap; and I suspect that he wanted to refuse but he was so tired that he agreed to stretch out on the sofa in the family room."

"Thank you for taking care of Lee for me. You have no idea how much he means to me", Amanda said as she reached out and hugged her mother. Dotty briefly accepted the hug but then pulled back to face Amanda.

"You're right, Amanda, I don't know what Lee means to you. Did you ever intend to tell me about him?" The hurt and anger that Dotty was feeling were evident in her voice and on her face.


	28. Chapter 28

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 28

"Thank you for taking care of Lee for me. You have no idea what he means to me", Amanda said as she reached out and hugged her mother. Dotty briefly accepted the hug but then pulled back to face her daughter.

"You're right, Amanda, I don't know what Lee means to you. Did you ever intend to tell me about him?" The hurt and anger that Dotty was feeling were evident in her voice and on her face.

"Oh Mother, I can see that you're upset." Amanda reached out to take Dotty's hand in hopes of closing the physical and emotional distance between them but Dotty rebuffed her attempt by stepping back further. "I don't know what possessed Lee to come here and talk to you about our…just because we had a …oh that man; he just makes me-", Amanda sputtered and then went silent and looked down at the grass.

"He makes you feel more alive than you've felt in years. You love him more-"

"Mother, you don't-", Amanda tried to interrupt her mother.

"Don't interrupt me, you've put off this conversation for too long already, I've tried to be patient but now I'm going to speak my mind."

"When haven't you spoken your mind", Amanda fired back as the stress of the past several days caused her to speak to her mother in a way that she normally wouldn't.

"I've kept my feelings to myself for the past few years while you've come and gone at all sorts of crazy hours. You've offered me ridiculous excuses or no explanations at all while I stayed put and took care of your sons and kept your home running."

"Mother, I-", Amanda stopped as Dotty waved her hand at her indicating that she had more to say.

"I'm not complaining about caring for the boys and the house, heaven knows I love you all. I was so lonely after we lost your father. You needed help after Joe left and I was glad to be able to step in and do what I could. I realize now that I shouldn't have pushed you to marry Dean; I wanted what I thought would be best for you and the boys."

"I never loved Dean. I was comfortable with him and he would have taken good care of the boys and me but deep down inside I knew that I wanted more out of life than that. Dean's a good man and he deserves to have a wife who truly loves him; I hope he finds someone special. I shouldn't have let that relationship drag on for so long; it wasn't fair to Dean", Amanda confessed.

"You didn't hurt Dean intentionally; I don't think that you would hurt anyone intentionally. You were newly divorced and you were focusing all your energy on doing what you thought would be best for the boys. You deserve to be loved and the boys deserve a home with two live in parents", Dotty said as she briefly touched Amanda's arm.

"With you here the boys have the next best thing. You're terrific with them. They love you so much.

"You know how much I love them but you need to admit to yourself that a grandmother can't take a father's place in the boys' lives. Joe's been trying since he came back from Africa but his sons will never be his top priority. They need a man in their lives who will put their needs first", Dotty said as she thought of the man napping in the house.

"I suppose you've decided that Lee is that man. I don't know what he said to you; he shouldn't have been talking to you at all. When he wakes up-"

"When he wakes up I suggest that you listen to whatever he came here to say to YOU", Dotty admonished.

"Lee came here to talk to me", Amanda asked as she began to realize that she'd let her emotions get in the way of her common sense.

"He certainly didn't come here to talk to me. You've made it clear to him that you don't want to introduce him to your family. When I caught Lee out here he didn't want to answer my questions. I told him that I thought that you two had had a fight, but he said that it was a misunderstanding, and he took the blame for it. I wanted to ask him more questions but he told me that he thought that you wouldn't want me to get to know him. Lee said that he isn't the kind of man that you would want to introduce to your mother."

"If Lee refused to answer your questions how did you end up talking to him about his childhood?" _How did she get him to discuss the details of his childhood? It took me months to get him to tell me anything about his childhood._

"After waiting such a long time to get to know your mystery man I wasn't going to let my chance slip away so I struck up a deal with him", Dotty told Amanda proudly.

"A deal", Amanda asked curiously.

"Yes, dear, I wouldn't ask him anything about his relationship with you if he would tell me about his life before he met you", Dotty explained. After listening to her mother's answer Amanda became lost in her own thoughts.

 _I've been frustrated by Lee's tendency to move two steps forward and one step back in our relationship but maybe I've been the one doing that lately. Have I been sending Lee mixed signals? Everything seemed to be going well until this Blackthorne mess came up. Why did Lee decide to look into his parents' past; he's certainly had the opportunity to do so before but he didn't do it until now._ Amanda's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the backdoor opening.


	29. Chapter 29

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 29

When Dotty had initially confronted Lee and then Amanda she hadn't intended to back down until she had received the answers that she sought. Although she still wanted her questions answered Dotty was beginning to think that pushing Lee and Amanda further at this point might do more harm than good. Amanda had grown silent after hearing about the conversation her mother had had with Lee. Dotty was certain that Amanda was mulling over her how she had treated Lee recently.

Dotty looked on as Amanda turned around upon hearing the backdoor open. Lee looked at the two women and started walking towards them as a look of relief and then trepidation crossed his face.

"Amanda, I'm so glad that you're back. I just woke up and checked the time; you've been gone for a long time. Are you okay", Lee asked.

"I'm better now", Amanda replied awkwardly. Dotty decided to give the couple a chance to talk in private so she cleared her throat and walked closer to Lee.

"If you two will excuse me I'm going to go inside and get lunch started. Lee, will you join us for lunch", Dotty inquired.

"Mrs. West, thank you for taking such good care of me earlier. I really appreciate it. I should be going now; I'm sure I've already overstayed my welcome", Lee replied sadly and began to walk towards the back gate. Amanda quickly reached out and put her hand on his arm to stop him.

"Lee, if you don't have other plans, we'd both like you to stay", Amanda said and Lee could tell by the smile on her face that she really meant it.

"I'd like to stay; what can I do to help", he answered happily.

"I have everything under control", Dotty responded quickly, "you two stay out here and talk. I'll let you know when lunch is ready." Dotty walked away leaving Lee and Amanda looking at each other in awkward silence.

"I'm sorry", they both blurted out at the same time.

"What do you have to be sorry for? I'm sorry about this", Lee gestured in a way that suggested that he was apologizing for getting caught by Dotty. "I've eluded the best that the Soviets and the Chinese have thrown at us but I got caught out here by your mother." Lee looked so contrite and embarrassed that Amanda couldn't help laughing." "What's so funny? I thought you were going to be furious with me. I've been screwing things up since I told you that I love you. I'm sorry", Lee concluded as he looked down at the grass.

"You're sorry that you love me", Amanda asked quietly. Lee's head shot up and he looked at her as though he couldn't believe what she'd asked him.

"No, I'll never be sorry that I fell in love with you. You've made me so happy but we both know that I don't belong here. How many times have you told me that I'm not 'normal'? Look at this past week; all I wanted to do was-"

"Amanda", Dotty shouted from the backdoor interrupting what she could tell was a serious conversation. "Joe is on the phone. He says it's urgent that he talk to you." Amanda stood still; torn between continuing her conversation with Lee and finding out what Joe wanted.

"Go talk to Joe, the boys are with him, they have to come first", Lee urged. Amanda hesitated for a moment and then walked back to the house leaving Lee and Dotty in the yard. Amanda came back out a couple of minutes later with a puzzled expression on her face.

"That was quick. What did Joe want", Dotty asked.

"When I got to the phone he'd already hung up. I called his place and he didn't answer. I hope the boys are alright", Amanda said as she twisted the chain around her neck.

"I'm sure they're fine. The first thing that I asked Joe when I heard his voice was whether or not the boys were okay. He said they were fine", Dotty reassured Amanda. "Why don't you and Lee come inside and we'll wait to see if Joe calls back."

The three adults walked back to the house lost in their own thoughts. The phone began to ring as soon as they entered the kitchen and Amanda rushed to answer it.

"Joe? Phillip? Phillip, calm down, what's wrong? Is Jamie alright", Amanda asked anxiously and then listened to Phillip's reply. "Your father did what? How long ago?" Dotty and Lee could tell from Amanda's change in tone that she had gone from worried to angry. "No, you don't have to stay there by yourselves. I'll be there soon. I don't know about that; we'll talk about that when I get there. Bye."

"Amanda, what happened", Dotty asked as soon as Amanda hung up the phone, "why did Joe hang up before"

"He was in a hurry to get to his office", Amanda answered angrily.

"He took the boys to work with him", Lee asked.

"No, he left them alone at his place. Someone had called from his office to ask if he could come in and deal with an urgent matter. Joe had promised to take the boys to a ballgame so he left the tickets with them and told them that he'd try to get home in time to go to the game. Joe told the boys that he was sure that if he couldn't make it that I wouldn't mind taking them in his place."

"I can't believe that man. I know they aren't little anymore but he had no business walking out on them like that", Dotty said with undisguised hostility.

"Lee, I'm sorry, I need to go get them. I'll bring them back here and then we can talk."

"Go get the boys, but don't bring them home, take them to the game. They shouldn't miss out because their father doesn't know how lucky he is to have them", Lee urged.

"Okay, I'll take them to the game but we aren't done talking", Amanda replied as she gave him a quick kiss in front of her mother. Amanda headed out to get the boys leaving Lee and Dotty alone again.


	30. Chapter 30

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 30

Lee was lying on the sofa in his darkened living room; the only light in the room was coming from the television. He was physically exhausted but he'd been unable to fall asleep due to all the troubling thoughts that were running through his mind. Lee was in an emotional tailspin and he had concluded that he had no one but himself to blame for his current state. _If only I hadn't let Amanda convince me that I wasn't really happy with my life the way that it had been before I met her I wouldn't be hurting now. Right, but I wouldn't have just had the happiest four years of my life._ _I thought that telling Amanda that I love her would have brought us closer but it's done just the opposite._ Lee got up to get some aspirin to dull the physical pain he was feeling; only to be interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Lee walked slowly to the door, looked through the peephole, and was surprised to see a sad looking Amanda standing there.

"What are you doing here", Lee blurted out as soon as he'd opened the door.

"I didn't like the way we left things earlier", a visibly stung Amanda responded as Lee continued to stand in the doorway effectively preventing her from entering the apartment. "May I come in", she asked.

"Of course; you're always welcome here"; Lee answered as he backed up and let Amanda come in.

"That's not what you said this morning. I'm sorry, you were right to ask me to leave this morning, I don't know why I said the things that I did. I know you; if you had a child he'd be at the center of your life. Will you forgive me?"

"Amanda, I'd already forgiven you a little while after you left. I was in your yard this morning because I'd gone to apologize to you and explain how I'd met Andy. We were trapped under the same pile of debris when the storm struck the airport terminal. It was just the two of us so we got to know each other while we were working to attract the attention of the rescue workers", Lee explained.

"Was he hurt", Amanda asked as she imagined one of her sons being in that situation.

"Not badly; he's got a few scrapes and bruises. After they dug us out, the paramedics treated us, and I kept Andy with me until the police found his mom and baby sister. Karen, his mom, put her name and phone number on the back of his drawing because-"

"Lee, you don't need to explain any more, if I hadn't already been feeling hurt and confused about why you ran off without talking to me I never would have overreacted to seeing the drawing", Amanda explained.

"You're totally justified in feeling hurt, confused and angry. Ever since I started looking into my parents' past my behavior has been, well, it's been typical Scarecrow. I've been acting without considering the consequences and I didn't give any thought to how my actions were hurting the people closest to me. I nearly got you killed and I didn't even think about that until Billy threw it in my face", Lee finished as he raked his hand through his hair.

"I'm a grown woman with a mind of my own; I didn't have to do everything that you asked me to. I have to take a hard look at why I was so willing to placate you when I knew that you weren't thinking clearly. I'm not perfect, not even close, yet you've put me up on a pedestal while I've been tearing you down. You mentioned earlier that I've regularly told you that you aren't normal but who am I to judge someone else? Have you really taken a critical look at the state that my life is in?"

"What's wrong with your life", Lee questioned as he thought of Amanda as being just short of perfect.

"I've failed at marriage, I stayed in a relationship with a good man that I didn't love just because my mother thought he'd make a good husband, and I've hurt my mother by blatantly lying to her for years. If all that isn't bad enough I had to admit this afternoon that I've failed at the most important role in my life. I failed my sons", Amanda said as a single tear ran down her cheek.


	31. Chapter 31

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 31

Lee was surprised by Amanda's very critical assessment of the state of her life and he simply couldn't believe that she thought she'd failed her sons. _How could she think that she's failed those boys; if my mother had loved me like Amanda…Whoa, you're doing it again, stop thinking about yourself when Amanda needs you._ Lee reached out and wiped away Amanda's lone tear with his thumb.

"Hey, you're talking crazy; you are the best mother that I know. What makes you think that you've failed the boys?"

"When I got to Joe's place to pick them up the boys weren't talking to each other; they kept exchanging hostile glances. I asked them to tell me exactly what happened before Joe left them there alone. Phillip started to tell me about how Joe explained to them that there was something at his office that he 'had to take care of' and he was sorry that he had to leave them alone. I've never seen Phillip so angry at his father's actions. He said that he couldn't believe that Joe was putting his job before them again. Jamie interrupted and called Phillip a fool for counting on Joe. I was so shocked; I had no idea that they felt so angry about how their father had treated them."

"They have every right to be angry at him. How did you think they felt about Joe", Lee asked.

"I knew they were very disappointed that he'd chosen to miss so much of their lives but I never realized how much anger they felt towards him. I made a point of never saying anything negative about Joe to the boys. I didn't want to be one of those women who put down their children's father to get even with their ex", Amanda explained and then she looked away from Lee briefly. "I took them to the game, they just sat there, and I don't think they even enjoyed it. On the way home I picked up Marvelous Marvin's for dinner. When we sat down at the table to eat neither one of them was talking and they were barely eating. I asked them why they hadn't told me how angry they were at their father and…and", Amanda stopped as tears started running down her face. Lee gathered Amanda into his arms and gently rubbed her back. He didn't know what to say to her but he was determined to offer comfort and wait for Amanda to feel up to continuing to explain what had happened with the boys. After a couple of minutes Amanda pulled back from Lee and wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry; I know you hate emotional outbursts", Amanda said quietly.

"You have nothing to be sorry about; I want to be here for you whenever you need me. One of the things that you've taught me is that it's never good to keep everything bottled up inside. It just eats away at you."

"You actually were paying attention", Amanda said and offered Lee a small smile.

"Yeah; I can be a slow learner but I'm not hopeless", Lee replied and returned Amanda's smile with one of his own shy smiles. "Do you feel up to telling me the rest of what the boys told you that has you so upset?"

"Okay; when I asked them why they hadn't told me how they really feel about their dad they said that they didn't want to make me feel worse than I already did about the divorce. They were just little boys and they were trying to protect my feelings. How could I have not noticed what their feelings really are", Amanda asked guiltily.

"I think that you're being too hard on yourself. Phillip and Jamie may have just felt sad and rejected when they were younger; the anger towards Joe could have built over time. What we feel about our parents changes over time as we grow older and start to see our parents as people not simply as parents", Lee offered as he reflected on his own confused feelings. As troubled as Amanda was about her sons she still realized that Lee was speaking about himself as well as Phillip and Jamie. She silently reached out and took Lee's hand in hers; each offering comfort to the other. They both knew that they had a lot to work through yet they were both feeling more hopeful about the future than they had been before they started truly talking to each other again. Lee and Amanda didn't know what the future would bring but for the moment they were content to cuddle silently in the darkened living room. All the challenges they still faced would be waiting for them; they'd have to deal with them soon enough, of that they were both certain.


	32. Chapter 32

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 32

Amanda sat up in bed and stretched after a largely sleepless night. Although she'd enjoyed the brief time that she'd spent with Lee the previous evening it hadn't ended the way that she hoped it would. Amanda appreciated Lee's genuine interest in her family and his willingness to comfort her when she'd been so upset when she arrived at his apartment. She had planned to talk to Lee about the recent changes in their relationship but as they'd cuddled on his sofa it became obvious that he was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. Lee was embarrassed; but they both agreed that he needed to get some sleep so Amanda went home.

Amanda got out of bed, walked to her closet, and stood looking at the neatly hung items that comprised her day to day wardrobe. As she looked at the clothing she was reminded of her conversation with Francine about the fact that women are unfairly judged by their wardrobe choices. _What do my clothes say about me?_ Amanda continued to look at the very casual items, the business coordinates and the small collection of dressy evening wear all divided into sections of her closet. _Most of the people I know only see me wearing one type of clothing, the other PTA moms never see me in an evening gown and Francine's disdain is clear when she sees me wearing my mom clothes. I feel like these outfits are nothing more than costumes for the various roles I play in life. I'd like to be able to just be me, Amanda, not the mother, the daughter, the dependable partner all at different times._ Amanda grabbed a forest green angora sweater and a pair of well worn jeans and threw them onto her bed as she headed to take a shower.

Half an hour later Amanda walked into the kitchen where Phillip and Jamie were finishing their breakfast in silence.

"Morning, fellas", Amanda greeted them.

"Good morning, Mom", they responded with little enthusiasm.

"Where's your grandma", Amanda asked, surprised that her mother wasn't eating with the boys.

"Grandma is in the yard; she wants to get an early start on her new plan", Phillip replied.

"What new plan", Amanda asked curiously.

"Grandma told us that she made a new friend yesterday and they were talking about gardening", Jamie explained. "She said they were discussing different gardening styles from all over the world and now she wants to try some new ideas out in our yard."

"Her new friend is a man; do you think Captain Curt should be worried", Phillip asked while pushing his cereal around in the bowl without eating any.

"No, Phillip, Grandma's new friend is not a threat to Captain Curt", Amanda answered, surprised that was something that Phillip would be considering. _I guess they aren't little anymore; I have to stop thinking of them that way._ "What do you two have planned for today?"

"Dad called last night, after you went…out. He had the nerve to be annoyed that you didn't wait longer before you took us to the game. He said that he got back to his place in time to take us but we were already gone", Jamie answered.

"We told him that you had no way of knowing that and he shouldn't be blaming you for being there for us when he wasn't", Phillip continued angrily. "Dad wants us to do something with him today; he gave us two options."

"What did you choose", Amanda asked neutrally.

"Option three", Jamie stated proudly, "I told him I had something more important to do today."

"What about you Phillip", Amanda asked as she eyed her older son.

"I went along with Jamie but I'm…" Phillip trailed off.

"Did you want to spend the day with your dad", Amanda asked as she couldn't decide whether or not to try to influence his decision.

"I wanted to spend time with him but I hate that it's almost always on his terms. Is that wrong, Mom? You've always told us that he's a good dad but-", Phillip asked. Amanda could see Phillip making an effort to keep his feelings from showing on his face and it reminded her of someone else that she loved. She was not going to let Phillip think that he had to hide his feelings from her.

"Phillip, Jamie, I want you both to listen to me very carefully. I love you both very much and I want you to know that you can talk to me about whatever you're feeling. I'm sorry that I haven't been more honest with you about how I feel about your dad; I guess I thought that I was protecting you from being hurt any more then you already were by the divorce. He's a good man and he is well intentioned but he wasn't a very good husband or dad. I think he's trying to change and-"

"You want us to give him another chance; don't you", Phillip asked as Jamie looked on equally anxious to hear Amanda's reply.

"That isn't an easy question to answer. I want you to do what feels right to each of you; that might be two different things and that's okay. It may take some time for you to figure out what you really want to do. Listen to what your heart tells-

"Aww, Mom, that's a sappy answer", Phillip complained as he rolled his eyes.

"It may be sappy but it's the best advice I can give you. I could make a choice for the two of you but it might not be the choice that would ultimately be best for you. You have to be honest with yourselves about what you want and expect from your dad going forward. We can't change the past but we can have an impact on our futures if we're honest with ourselves and each other", Amanda concluded as she ruffled Phillip's hair.

"Is that what you plan to do from now on, Mom", Jamie asked with a knowing look in his eyes.

"Yes, Jamie, that's what I plan to do from now on. I'd like to tell you about a man that I met a few years ago", Amanda began.

"Is he the guy with the hot silver sports car", Phillip asked.

"The one that you talk to in the yard when you think no one is around", Jamie challenged.

"If you know about him why didn't you ever ask me about him", Amanda asked as she was trying to accept that a big part of her secret life wasn't as secret as she'd thought.

"We figured that since we don't tell you everything about our lives you shouldn't have to tell us everything about yours either", Phillip offered casually.

"We'd like to meet him sometime unless he'll always be too busy to spend time with us or if he's boring like Dean we could pass on meeting him", Jamie added with a smile. "He's Grandma's new friend; isn't he?"

"Yes, your grandma met Lee yesterday. Lee would like to spend time with you boys and he's definitely not boring like Dean", Amanda answered as she noticed her mother standing in the doorway listening. "Lee and I need to have one of those really honest conversations like we were talking about earlier. If things go well then I'd like it if we could all do something together soon. What do you think?"

"Go talk to him. Maybe someday he'll take me for a ride in his car", Phillip answered enthusiastically as Dotty walked into the kitchen.

"Go ahead, Amanda, I'll keep the boys busy here. The yard needs plenty of work", Dotty said with a wink at Amanda. "Oh, tell Lee the next time that he stops by he should use the front door."


	33. Chapter 33

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings Chapter 33

Amanda was walking slowly through Rock Creek Park where she had arranged to meet Lee. The nervousness and uncertainty that she'd been feeling since Lee had told her that he loved her weeks earlier had been replaced by a confidence that they belonged together. Amanda approached the large fountain where they were to meet and saw Lee sitting on a bench watching all the families that were enjoying the beautiful fall day. Lee was so focused on a young couple that was watching their small daughter feeding the pigeons that he didn't notice Amanda's arrival until she'd sat down next to him.

"The boys used to love to feed the birds, and I loved watching them, I don't know who enjoyed it the most", Amanda said as she reached out and took Lee's hand in hers.

"It looks as though they're all enjoying themselves; I wonder if my parents ever had me do that", Lee said wistfully.

"I'm sure they must have, it's something that parents of small children do, and you were probably too young at the time to remember it now."

"Maybe you're right; my memories of them are all jumbled up but it doesn't matter anymore because from now on I'm trying to look forward not backwards. I don't plan to let my past get in the way of my future anymore; I've wasted enough of my life already. We have a terrific future ahead of us", Lee said as he leaned forward and began to kiss Amanda. Amanda returned his kisses briefly but then she slowly pulled away from him.

"Lee, I'm glad that you're looking forward and I agree that we have a terrific future ahead of us but I'm worried about you. You've been through a great deal this week but you're acting as though you are fine and dandy and ready to move on without talking about what's happened", Amanda said quietly while watching Lee's eyes for a reaction to what she was saying to him. "I know you're a private person and I respect that but I think that you need to deal with whatever it was that you read in your mother's journal that upset you so much."

"I'm not saying that I'm fine and dandy, wait a minute, I didn't say anything about my mother's journal; how did you know-"

"I know because I know you very well and I love you, please talk to me; it might make you feel better. There's nothing that you can't talk to me about. You went to your uncle, who you barely speak to, for comfort instead of coming to me", Amanda said with hurt written all over her face.

"I didn't go to you because I was hurt, angry and embarrassed by what I read in the journal. I was afraid that you would try to talk me out of confronting the Colonel and I was embarrassed by what I discovered about my parents. I couldn't let you stop me from having it out with my uncle so I left without discussing the journal with you. I never meant to hurt you; I didn't stop to think about how my leaving that way would make you feel."

"I'm very confused. When you called me from your uncle's place it sounded as though you two were getting along; it didn't seem like you were angry with him."

"After I confronted him I realized that he's been a victim of my parents' actions as much as I have. We talked about things that we've never discussed before and found that we're more alike than we are different. We may never be what you would consider to be a normal family but we're working on our relationship. I can see now that my uncle has been more of a father to me than my father was", Lee concluded. Lee looked at an uncharacteristically silent Amanda as he tried to gauge her reaction to what he'd just told her. "Amanda, you're scaring me, you're not usually this quiet. What are you thinking?"

"You've given me a lot to think about. First off, I wish I'd never used the word 'normal' in relation to you and your family. My family life is far from perfect so I shouldn't be judging any one else's life. I'm happy that you and your uncle have come to an understanding with each other but I don't understand why you seem to be inclined to blame your parents for everything that went wrong in your life. They were innocent victims, Thomas Blackthorne was to blame for their deaths, and we proved that."

"Blackthorne arranged the car crash that killed them but their rogue investigation of him pushed him into taking that action", Lee said angrily as he rose from the bench and started pacing. "They didn't have to behave so recklessly; what were they thinking?"

"That's crazy, I can't believe you think that, we were almost killed avenging their deaths and now you're blaming them for their own deaths. What's gotten into you", Amanda demanded as she stood up and grabbed Lee's arm to stop his pacing.

"What's gotten into me is a major reality check thanks to that journal, you only read the beginning of it, but I read the rest of it. Those first few pages made it seem as though my mother was a devoted mom but as the journal continued it turned into little more than a recounting of their adventures and travels. I desperately wanted to find something about our family life to fill in the gaps in my memories of them but there wasn't much there. What I did read made it plain that they weren't honest with my grandmother and the Colonel about what my mother was doing with her life. They asked my uncle to promise to take care of me if anything happened to them but they didn't bother to tell him that my mother was an agent too and faced the same risks that my father did."

"Are you sure that your uncle didn't know that your mom was an agent", Amanda asked, clearly surprised by that revelation.

"He didn't know until I told him; he looked about as shocked as you do now. I read something about him that I hadn't known before and I threw it in his face while I was still so angry at him. I, aah, I'd never seen such a look of pain in his eyes before but it was too late for me to take it back. We talked it out and it helped me to see him for who he really is. Reading that journal was painful but it's also helped me see myself more clearly. I don't like some of what I see in myself and I'm determined to change my life. I'm a work in progress…will you be patient with me for a little while longer", Lee asked hopefully.


	34. Chapter 34

Unfinished Business, Unresolved Feelings chapter 34

"I don't like some of what I see in myself and I'm determined to change my life. I'm a work in progress…will you be patient with me for a little while longer", Lee asked Amanda hopefully.

"I love you", Amanda said as she took Lee's hand in hers, "I waited four years to hear those words from you; I'm not going anywhere now that you've finally said them." They shared a tender kiss but Lee sensed that Amanda had more to say in response to his question.

"There's a but coming; isn't there", Lee asked nervously.

"It's not really a 'but'; it's just that I love you the way you are, why do you want to change yourself?"

"You accepted my spending time with your mother yesterday and you're willing to let me meet the boys but can you say that you're completely comfortable with the prospect of them getting to know me", Lee asked as he took a step back from Amanda. "Do you really want your family to be exposed to the great Scarecrow?"

"Of course not", Amanda blurted out.

"I-, Lee began to reply before Amanda interrupted him.

"Let me finish what I was trying to say to you. I wouldn't want the boys to be exposed to Scarecrow but you aren't Scarecrow, you're Lee and there's a huge difference between the two", Amanda said as she stepped closer to him in order to close the physical distance he'd put between them.

"I'm not so sure about that. Did you know that there are people that I've worked with for ten years and they've never called me anything but Scarecrow or Stetson? What does that say about me?"

"It says that you're not the easiest person to get to know but the people who've made the effort to get to know you care about you a great deal. Mr. Melrose and Francine would do just about anything for you", Amanda argued.

"And look at how I just treated them when they tried to help me. I've been taking a very hard look at myself and I don't like what I see. A few days ago you watched me kill a man in cold blood; doesn't that bother you", Lee quietly asked a shocked Amanda. Lee and Amanda walked in silence to a deserted grove of trees so no one would be around to overhear the rest of their conversation.

"You shot Thomas Blackthorne in self defense and to protect me; that is hardly what I'd call a cold blooded killing", Amanda answered, and was surprised that Lee would see it any other way.

"Yes, at that moment I had to shoot him, but it shouldn't have gotten to that point. I could have, should have, gone there with other agents and had Blackthorne taken into custody for his crimes. He would have been tried for the crimes he committed, that would have been justice, and he would have spent the rest of his life in prison. Instead he's dead and I have his blood on my hands; his and so many other peoples", Lee said with a haunted look in his eyes.

"Have you ever killed anyone when it wasn't in the line of duty", Amanda asked, confident that she knew the answer.

"No, I haven't but that isn't what's bothering me. The first time I killed a man I threw up at the scene and then had nightmares about it for weeks afterwards. The second time I didn't throw up but I came close and I replayed the moment in my mind over and over again for days trying to think of some way in which I could have done things differently. What bothers me is that each time I killed it bothered me less afterwards; what kind of person gets accustomed to killing other people."

"I refuse to believe that you've ever taken a life if there was any other alternative and we wouldn't be having this conversation if you weren't still troubled by killing people. You aren't a hit man; you're an agent who acts in the line of duty", Amanda tried to reason with Lee.

"I think I might take more comfort from that thought if the Agency was still being run the way Harry Thornton ran it. Harry founded the Agency with certain ideals in mind; it had a patriotic mission that wasn't to be changed to suit the countries day to day politics. I joined the Agency because I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps in the intelligence community and I believed in the work that Harry was doing. The Agency hasn't been living up to the mission that Harry set for it for years now but I tried not to dwell on that."

"Are you saying that you want to leave the Agency", Amanda asked, alarmed by the prospect.

"I'm not going to go in tomorrow and resign. I know the Agency is very important to you; we wouldn't even have met if it weren't for the Agency, and I won't make any decisions without taking your feelings into consideration. I've been living my life in response to an event that took place more then thirty years ago. I've been blaming the state my life is in on my parents' deaths and the way the Colonel raised me but I've been on my own for a very long time and I can see now that no one but me is responsible for the state my life is in. I know I'm pretty old to be trying to figure out who I want to be when I grow up but that's where I find myself", Lee concluded with a shy smile.

"I think I do understand what you're feeling. I've spent my entire adult life being different things to different people; I've always tried to put what I thought was best for other people first. When I met you that slowly started to change; I started to chase my own dreams again. I guess we're both works in progress. We both have a lot of life altering decisions to make and I'm glad that we're finally really talking to each other again."

"I understand that whatever choices that we make will affect the boys and your mother as well, we need to take this slow and make sure that we get it right. Your family is already very important to me. There is a very important question that I want to ask you when the time is right; are you willing to be patient with me for a little while longer?"

"I love you; I'm willing to wait for you but now that my mother has met you I'm not sure that she'll be that patient with you. She wants to see me happily married", Amanda said with a bright smile.

"I see a happy marriage in our future but I think I should get to know your sons first, don't you", Lee said as he took Amanda into his arms and kissed her. They would face new challenges in the weeks and months ahead but they took comfort in the knowledge that they would be facing them together.

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Author's note: I had originally intended for this to be a relatively short story but my imagination kicked in and this story didn't turn out to be short. I've chosen to end this story here, a few days after the events of Unfinished Business, even though I have a lot of ideas for how this tale could continue. I'd rather leave readers wanting more rather than have readers wondering why I don't know when enough is enough.

Thank you to everyone who stuck with this story over the last few months. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd like to offer an extra thanks to everyone who took the time to post reviews.


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